tVic 

PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


Purchased  by  the  Hamill  Missionary  Fund. 


Division 


...IS  77 

. 364 


1 


Section 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


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China  in  Convulsion 

Volume  Two 


ARTHUR  H.  SMITH  1 

“Not  only  two  of  the  very  best  books  on  China, 
but  two  of  the  very  best  books  which  have  ever 
been  published  by  any  author  on  any  country  at 
any  time” — Dr.  T alcott  Williams. 

Tenth  Thousand 

pillage  Life  in.  China 

A Study  in  Sociology.  8vo,  fully  illus- 
trated, $2.00. 

“Arthur  H.  Smith  has  added  a second  to  those  extra- 
ordinary studies  of  China  life,  of  which  he  is  so  easily  mas- 
ter. No  book  like  this  has  been  written  on  China  except 
one,  and  that  is  Dr.  Smith’s  ‘ Chinese  Characteristics.’  The 
two  books  together  may  fairly  be  said  to  give  a clearer  idea 
of  China  as  it  is  than  any  or  all  of  the  5,000  or  6,000  works 
published  on  the  Empire  during  the  last  century.” — Phila- 
delphia Press. 

A MAGAZINE  OF  INFORMATION 

“ He  is  an  acute  observer,  a discriminating  judge  of  both 
people  and  facts,  and  an  entertaining  narrator.  No  one  can 
begin  to  understand  the  Chinese  until  he  has  read  such  a 
work  as  this.” — New  York  Observer . 

Fifteenth  Thousand 

£hinese  Characteristics 

New  Edition.  With  20  full-page  illustra- 
tions and  Index,  and  characteristic  decoration 
for  each  chapter.  8vo,  cloth,  $2  00. 

“Those  best  informed  call  it  without  exception  the  best 
book  on  the  Chinese  that  is  before  the  public,  and  a 
pretty  careful  survey  of  it  confirms  that  opinion.” — The 
Independent. 

“There  is  all  the  difference  between  an  intaglio  in  onyx 
and  a pencil  scrawl  on  paper  to  be  discovered  between  Mr. 
Smith’s  book  and  the  printed  prattle  of  the  average  globe- 
trotter. Our  author’s  work  has  been  done,  as  it  were,  with 
a chisel  and  an  emery  wheel.  He  goes  deeply  beneath  the 
surface.” — The  Critic. 

A KEEN  ANALYSIS  OF  CHARACTER 

“The  book  is  generally  accepted  by  students  in  the  Far 
East  as  not  only  one  of  the  ablest  analyses  and  portrayals 
of  the  Chinese  character,  but,  on  the  whole,  one  of  the  most 
truthful  and  judicial.” — The  Nation. 


FIRST  TRAIN  PASSING  THROUGH  THE  WALL  OF  PEKING 


China  in  Convulsion 


BY 

ARTHUR  H.  SMITH 

Twenty-nine  years  a Missionary 
of  the  American  Board  in  China 
Author  of 

“ Chinese  Characteristics  ” and  “ Village  Life  in  China  ” 


With  Numerous  Illustrations  and  Maps 

IN  TWO  VOLUMES 
Volume  Two 


NEW  YORK  CHICAGO  TORONTO 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 

1901 


Copyright  1901 
by 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 
(November) 


Press  of 

Riggs  Printing  &•  Pubiishing  Co. 
Albany,  N.  Y. 


CONTENTS 

Volume  II 

CHAPTER  PAGB 

XX.  Siege  Life 365 

XXI.  Days  of  Waiting 383 

XXII.  Renewal  of  the  Attack 402 

XXIII.  The  Relief 419 

XXIV.  From  Taku  to  Peking 435 

XXV.  The  Fortifications 462 

XXVI.  After  the  Siege 485 

XXVII.  Hand  of  God  in  the  Siege 508 

XXVIII.  Punishment  of  Peking 517 

XXIX.  The  Capital  in  Transformation 535 

XXX.  Ruin  of  T’ung  Chou 555 

XXXI.  Tientsin  after  the  Siege 571 

XXXII.  Foreigners  in  the  Interior 594 

XXXIII.  Notable  Experiences 621 

XXXIV.  The  Catastrophe  to  the  Native  Church 650 

XXXV.  Personal  Narratives 665 

XXXVI.  Fire  and  Sword  in  Shansi 207 

XXXVII.  A Twelve-month  of  Foreign  Occupation 713 

XXXVIII.  The  Outlook 733 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


VOLUME  II 

FACING 

PAGE 

First  Train  Passing  Through  the  Wall  of  Peking  . Title 
The  “International”  Gun,  “Our  Betsey”  . . . 373 

Fortified  Bridge  across  the  Moat  near  Legation  Street  . 383 
British  Legation  Gate,  Fuel  Supply  Committee  . . 402 

Buddhist  Temple  and  Modern  Tram  Car  ....  416 
Water  Gate,  Peking,  through  which  Allies  Entered  . 416 
“Here  They  Come,”  General  Gaselee  on  the  Right  . 432 

Fraternizing  on  the  Tennis  Court 432 

Black  Fort  at  Tientsin,  Outside  View  ....  446 

Black  Fort  at  Tientsin,  Inside  View 446 

Wall  of  Tientsin  After  Bombardment  ....  452 
Gate  Through  which  Allies  entered  Tientsin  . . 452 

Temple  of  Heaven,  British  Headquarters  ....  460 
Court,  Temple  of  Heaven,  British  Headquarters  . . 460 

Gateway  to  British  Legation,  Moat  and  Barricade  . 468 

The  Six  “ Fighting  Parsons  ” and  Sergeant  Murphy  at 

Fort  Cockburn 474 

Group  of  American  Missionaries  present  during  the 

Siege  . 494 

Ruins  of  Presbyterian  Mission,  Peking  ....  498 

Ruins  of  Methodist  Mission,  Peking 498 

British  Legation  Wall 502 

Chinese  Gun  Platform  for  Firing  on  the  Legation  . 502 
Coming  out  of  Church,  Legation  Grounds  ....  508 

Railway  Station,  Peking 518 

Police  Station,  Peking 518 

Chien  Men  Gate,  Peking 522 

Ruins  of  Chien  Men  Gate 522 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING 

PAGE 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  Headquarters,  Peking 528 

Street  Panorama,  Peking 528 

Coal  Hill,  Chinese  Serving  German  Officers  . . . 532 

Summer  Palace  from  the  Lake 532 

Tartar  Wall,  Location  of  Astronomical  Observatory  . 545 
Temple  of  Agriculture,  Peking,  American  Headquarters  548 
Entrance  Temple  of  Agriculture,  American  Headquar- 
ters   548 

North  China  College,  T’ung  Chou 558 

American  Board  Mission,  Tientsin 576 

American  Board  Mission,  Tientsin,  after  the  Siege  . 576 

Arsenal,  Tientsin 586 

Ruins  of  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral,  Tientsin  . . 586 

First  British-Chinese  Regiment,  Wei  Hai  Wei  . . 590 

Russian  Troops  en  route  to  Peking 590 

Pei  Tai  Ho  Watering  Place,  from  which  Foreigners 

WERE  RESCUED  BY  CONSUL  FOWLER 604 

Corner  of  City  Wall,  Pao  Ting  Fu,  destroyed  by  Allied 

Troops  in  Punishment  for  Massacre  . . . .611 

Pastor  Meng,  a Martyr  of  Pao  Ting  Fu  . . . . 680 

Miss  Gould  of  Pao  Ting  Fu  and  School  Girls  . . . 682 

Manchu  Family,  some  of  them  Christians  . . . 700 

Native  Christian  Refugee 700 

Vicinity  of  Legation  Street,  Peking 722 

Dr.  Ament  Receiving  Village  Deputation  ....  730 

MAPS 

Map  showing  routes  of  Relief  Forces 438 

Plan  of  British  Legation,  Peking 480 

Map  of  seat  of  Boxer  Disturbance 620 


XX 


SIEGE  LIFE 

THERE  is  need  of  a digression  at  this  point,  to 
explain  certain  phases  of  the  routine  of  siege 
life  which  are  otherwise  in  danger  of  being  over- 
looked. 

The  matter  of  registration  labour  supply  was  one  of 
the  first  importance.  No  sooner  were  the  foreigners 
settled  in  the  Legation  and  the  Chinese  in  the  Su  Wang 
Fu,  than  a systematic  census  was  begun  under  the  Com- 
mittee on  Registration.  The  list  of  foreigners  was  soon 
complete  and  required  little  revision.  That  of  the  Chinese 
proved  for  a variety  of  reasons  far  more  difficult. 

Two  most  important  and  useful  officers  in  the  siege 
were  the  Superintendent  of  Labour  and  the  Registrar. 
Their  work  to  a large  extent  dovetailed,  the  former  mainly 
controlling  the  Protestant  labour  supply  outside  the  Lega- 
tion and  the  latter  the  time  of  every  Chinese  living  within 
its  walls.  To  the  energy,  vigilance,  kindness,  firmness 
and  tact  of  these  two  men  much  of  the  results  achieved  is 
to  be  attributed.  The  labour  of  the  Roman  Catholics 
living  outside  the  British  Legation,  it  should  be  remarked, 
after  an  unsatisfactory  experiment  on  the  part  of  the 
committee,  was  directed  by  their  priests,  and  by  the 
French,  Japanese  and  others  for  whom  work  was  done. 
The  registration  put  into  effect  in  the  Fu  was  modelled 
after  that  which  had  been  found  to  work  successfully  in 
the  British  Legation. 


36s 


366 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


The  demand  for  labour  was  clamorous  and  universal. 
Many  of  the  Legation  servants  had  fled  some  time  before, 
and  others  had  to  be  found  for  their  places.  All  the 
numerous  housekeepers  must  have  a detail  of  cooks,  table 
boys  and  coolies ; the  hospital  required  a staff  always  at 
the  command  of  the  surgeons ; there  were  many  horses 
to  be  fed  and  watered ; the  scavenger  and  other  sanitary 
work  was  imperative  and,  like  the  bakery  and  laundry, 
did  not  admit  of  irregular  depletion  of  employees.  Some 
educated  native  Christians,  like  the  scholar  class  of 
Chinese,  were  unused  to  manual  labour  and  unfitted  for 
it ; but  every  grade  and  variety  of  talent  was  eventually 
utilized,  especially  those  able  to  speak  English,  who  could 
serve  as  messengers,  interpreters,  or  overseers.  A small 
percentage  of  men  manifested  a rooted  and  chronic  dis- 
inclination to  active  effort,  but  ere  long  these  idiosyn- 
crasies were  dealt  with  on  their  real  merits. 

When  the  incessant  calls  for  labour  had  first  to  be 
met,  much  confusion  reigned  for  many  days.  Let  an 
actual  case  stand  as  a sample : 

At  nine  o’clock  one  evening  an  order  came  from  Col. 
Shiba,  commanding  the  Japanese  in  the  Su  Wang  Fu, 
for  ten  men  and  fifty  sand  bags  for  immediate  use.  The 
superintendent  secured  the  bags,  but  could  find  only  four 
available  men.  He  then  waked  up  another  gentleman 
who,  being  appointed  on  a wholly  different  committee  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  present  exigency,  but  assisted  on 
general  principles.  On  arriving  at  the  Fu  this  gentle- 
man learned  that  Col.  Shiba  had  already  got  the  men 
needed  from  the  Roman  Catholics  near  at  hand. 

Meantime  a note  had  come  to  the  British  Legation 
from  the  American  Captain  on  the  wall,  requiring  twenty 
men  to  raise  higher  the  western  wall  of  the  eastern  barri- 
cade, as  the  Chinese  west  barricade  was  firing  into  it. 


SIEGE  LIFE 


367 


The  superintendent  excused  a lad  too  small  to  handle 
the  huge  bricks  on  the  wall,  and  sent  the  same  obliging 
substitute  with  the  three  men  on  hand  to  aid  the  band 
that  were  kept  permanently  in  the  American  Legation 
for  emergencies,  but  happened  on  this  occasion  already 
to  have  been  working  all  day.  When  he  arrived  there  the 
Captain  who  gave  the  order  had  been  relieved,  and  his 
successor  in  charge  knew  nothing  about  any  call  for  men, 
but  informed  the  conductor  of  the  workmen  that  it  had 
been  decided  to  postpone  the  work  until  daylight,  when 
it  would  be  done  better.  The  ad  interim  assistant,  the 
superintendent  and  the  Chinese  were  then  enabled  to 
retire  for  what  remained  of  the  night. 

Perhaps  a summons  arrived  from  the  French  to  con- 
struct an  important  barricade.  No  men  could  be  found, 
for  it  was  late  at  night,  when  the  labour  market,  espe- 
cially the  free  labour  market,  is  generally  dosed.  A visit 
to  the  Fu  disclosed  numbers  of  Chinese  lying  about,  but 
each  one  proved  to  have  some  cherished  and  dangerous 
malady.  One  is  the  victim  of  a persistent  diarrhoea,  an- 
other shows  by  a limp  that  his  lower  leg  is  broken  in  two 
places,  the  crepitation  of  the  bones  being,  as  he  alleges, 
distinctly  audible ; not,  however,  to  the  trained  ear  of  the 
foreign  examiner,  who  soon  ascertains  that  the  man  is 
after  all  able  to  walk.  Some  deserve  to  be  excused,  but 
by  degrees,  between  boys  and  men,  the  order  is  filled  and 
they  are  sent  to  work. 

The  superintendent  is  no  more  than  back  at  the  Lega- 
tion, ready  for  bed  after  an  exhausting  day’s  work  in 
reducing  order  from  chaos,  when  a request  comes  for  ten 
men  immediately  to  work  all  night  on  a new  and  impor- 
tant barricade  in  the  Hanlin  Yuan.  No  one  but  the 
superintendent  can  find  the  men,  and  to  the  summons 
of  no  one  else  will  they  respond.  Once  more  the  Fu 


368 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


must  be  visited  and  every  sleeping  room  entered  with  a 
lantern.  In  the  darkness  dusky  forms  are  dimly  seen 
prone  upon  the  k’angs.  Here  the  drafting  process  is  re- 
peated, until  at  length  the  required  number  is  obtained, 
but  in  transit  through  so  many  courtyards  and  in  cross- 
ing the  canal  in  the  darkness  it  turns  out  that  three  out 
of  the  ten  have  escaped,  and  being  unknown  they  cannot 
be  identified.  At  a later  period  every  man  had  his  number 
not  only  entered  on  the  register  but  sewed  upon  his  cloth- 
ing, so  that  evasion  of  duty  like  this  became  impossible. 

About  midnight  one  hears  a great  disturbance  and 
angry  remonstrances.  The  weary  registrar  is  roused 
from  his  slumbers  by  an  urgent  demand  for  seventeen  of 
the  short  shovels  used  by  marines,  wanted  at  once  by 
somebody  in  another  Legation.  After  an  hour’s  hard  work 
and  a visit  to  every  place  where  digging  is  known  to  have 
been  prosecuted  the  day  before,  some  of  them  are  found, 
but  upon  being  brought  in  as  a part  of  what  is  wanted 
are  refused,  for  they  have  not  the  serrated  edges  of  the 
Austrian  shovels.  In  the  renewed  search  every  doubtful 
spot  is  approached  with  a lantern. 

“ Put  out  that  light,”  cries  a sentry,  with  the  addition 
of  emphatic  language.  He  is  informed  that  the  search 
is  being  conducted  under  official  orders  and  will  be  con- 
tinued until  the  required  articles  are  found. 

At  a later  stage,  the  duty  of  a ship’s  yeoman  is  added 
to  that  of  the  registrar,  and  the  tools,  as  far  as  possible, 
had  to  be  called  in  at  night  and  kept  in  a box  near  the 
bell  tower.  Under  careless  Chinese  use,  spades,  shovels, 
and  picks,  of  which  the  supply  was  originally  lamentably 
small  and  for  which  the  demand  was  general  and  insistent, 
have  their  handles  broken  off  and  are  rendered  useless. 
The  assistant  registrar  afterward  added  to  his  many  other 
functions  that  of  general  repairer,  and  as  far  as  possible 


SIEGE  LIFE 


369 


counteracted  the  ravages  of  the  wasteful  coolie.  The 
Chinese  carpenters  were  kept  busy  making  handles,  as 
also  the  blacksmiths  in  their  efforts  to  point  iron  rods 
so  as  to  serve  as  picks  or  crowbars. 

As  the  result  of  an  orderly  evolution  of  registry  every 
Chinese  on  the  premises  came  to  be  known  not  only  by 
name  but  by  his  reputation ; the  better  and  more  thor- 
ough workmen  requiring  little  or  no  supervision,  the  lazy 
and  inefficient  ones  needing  constant  stimulus.  Each  man 
was  provided  with  a ticket  good  for  that  day  only,  en- 
titling him  to  one  meal  or  to  two,  according  to  the  amount 
of  work  done.  When  he  had  finished  his  work  and  eaten 
his  meal  he  returned  to  his  family  in  the  Fu.  After  the 
Fu  was  mostly  lost,  and  it  became  necessary  to  remove 
the  Protestants  to  the  vacant  houses  between  the  canal 
and  the  American  Legation,  the  task  of  getting  labour 
was  much  expedited.  Those  liable  to  night  work  were 
then  kept  on  the  premises  where  they  were  needed,  and 
where  they  could  not  escape.  If  a man  living  in  the  Fu 
were  derelict  in  his  work  at  the  Legation  his  pass  was 
taken  away  and  he  could  not  get  out  to  return  to  his 
family,  a punishment  generally  quite  sufficient,  as  their 
food  depended  upon  him. 

Some  Chinese  were  fortunate  or  provident  enough  to 
have  food  supplies  of  their  own,  which  rendered  them  in 
a measure  independent.  In  a solitary  instance  a man  of 
some  education  after  persistently  refusing  to  work,  and 
repeated  warnings,  was  at  last  tied  to  a post  with  his 
hands  behind  him,  there  to  remain  until  his  views  upon 
the  relation  of  military  law  to  muscular  activity  and  to 
rations  became  materially  modified,  which  happened 
within  a few  hours. 

The  carelessness  of  the  Chinese  in  everywhere  knock- 
ing out  the  burning  ashes  of  their  pipes,  made  it  neces- 


37° 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


sary  to  forbid  smoking  in  buildings.  Those  guilty  of 
violating  this  rule  were  put  on  duty  for  four-and-twenty 
hours  continuously.  In  an  especially  aggravated  case  the 
cook  of  one  of  the  Legations  was  discovered  to  have  built 
a fire  of  a dangerous  and  unlawful  kind  late  at  night,  to 
see  how  to  take  care  of  his  child.  At  whatever  incon- 
venience to  individuals  the  authority  of  the  committee, 
found  by  experience  to  be  just  and  wholesome,  was 
sustained  against  all  appeals,  of  which,  however,  there 
were  but  few.  Those  liable  to  punishment  were  sent  to 
whatever  work  was  most  urgent ; if  it  chanced  that  for 
the  time  there  was  none  such,  they  might  temporarily 
escape. 

But  however  perfect  the  system  of  registration  and 
labour  supply,  the  simultaneous  demand  for  details  of  men 
who  were  not  available  necessarily  made  many  hitches  in 
the  progress  of  military  work.  Thus  six  men  were  de- 
tailed for  labour  on  fortifications  in  the  Hanlin,  but  at 
that  juncture  a pile  of  sand  bags  had  fallen  in  a heavy 
shower  from  a hospital  window  into  a gutter,  stopping 
the  drainage.  The  six  men  were  deflected  from  the  less 
to  the  more  pressing  task,  but  while  on  the  way  one  of 
them  was  called  off  to  carry  to  the  Chinese  hospital  a 
woman  who  in  a time  of  special  danger  had  been  shot 
in  crossing  the  canal  from  the  Fu. 

The  need  of  labour  made  it  necessary  to  require  from 
every  able-bodied  Chinese  two  hours’  work  each  day  for 
the  public,  which  often  proved  irksome  alike  to  servants, 
mistress  and  superintendents. 

Against  this  requisition,  which  was  later  supplemented 
by  another  for  the  whole  time  of  one  or  more  of  the  large 
staff  of  servants,  some  employers  were  disposed  to  re- 
monstrate vigorously.  One  gentleman  who  had  at  first 
been  very  energetic  in  his  cooperation,  at  a later  period 


SIEGE  LIFE 


371 


asked  a detail  of  men  for  the  purpose  of  getting  his  pri- 
vate dwelling  ready  for  a rain,  and  still  later  for  two 
labourers  to  clear  up  the  grounds  of  the  Russian  Lega- 
tion. The  unforgetting  Registrar  recollecting  that  two 
of  this  gentleman’s  servants  had  for  some  time  evaded 
duty,  went  to  his  kitchen  and  called  them  out.  They  ob- 
jected that  they  were  not  liable,  as  they  did  not  live  in 
the  British  but  in  the  Russian  Legation. 

“ Exactly,”  was  the  reply,  “ there  is  where  you  are  to 
work,”  and  the  amazed  and  abused  master  was  then  pre- 
sented with  two  of  his  own  servants  to  do  his  own  work 
in  his  own  Legation ! 

The  work  done  by  the  besieged  Christians,  often  hard 
and  exhausting,  in  no  case  rewarded  with  anything  more 
than  a bare  subsistence,  was  in  general  performed  with 
characteristic  Chinese  patience  and  perseverance,  many  of 
them,  under  the  tireless  supervision  of  foreigners,  throw- 
ing into  it  much  energy,  and  in  some  cases  considerable 
skill. 

Indeed  their  behaviour  was  almost  uniformly  admir- 
able. Instead  of  being  a dead-weight  to  be  carried  by 
foreigners  as  many  of  these  besieged  feared  they  would 
be,  they  were  soon  found  to  be  an  indispensable  means 
to  the  salvation  of  the  rest,  and  except  they  had  abode 
in  the  ship  none  would  have  been  saved.  As  in  all  large 
bodies  collected  at  random,  there  were  some  black  sheep, 
and  many  speckled  ones,  but  as  a rule  the  patient,  uncom- 
plaining fidelity  of  the  Christians  in  toilsome  tasks  under 
dangerous  conditions  was  beyond  praise.  The  steadiness 
under  constant  attacks,  and  in  the  midst  of  repeated  re- 
movals from  one  unsafe  place  to  another,  manifested  by 
the  Chinese  women,  and  especially  by  the  120  and  more 
school  girls,  were  also  noteworthy.  Many  Chinese  were 
furnished  with  rifles,  and  fought  at  the  loop-holes  side 


372 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


by  side  with  the  plucky  and  soldierly  Japanese,  winning 
even  their  cordial  commendation.  A good  number  were 
killed  in  posts  of  danger,  many  others  were  struck  by 
the  innumerable  flying  bullets,  two  of  the  best  helpers  of 
the  Methodists — one  of  them  an  ordained  pastor — falling 
at  the  same  time. 

Many  others  fell  victims  to  disease,  and  probably  a 
score  or  two  of  poor  Chinese  children  died  from  disease 
aggravated  by  mal-nutrition,  but  the  mothers  bore  their 
deep  grief  with  Christian  fortitude,  and  uttered  no  word 
of  reproach  to  the  Fate  in  which  all  non-Christian  Chinese 
have  a firm  faith,  but  rather  thanked  the  Heavenly  Father 
for  such  mercies  as  they  still  enjoyed. 

Each  day  there  was  a gathering  both  of  Chinese  and 
foreigners  upon  the  lawn,  to  examine  the  growing  pile  of 
clothing  and  other  stuff  brought  into  the  Legation.  This 
may  be  a fitting  opportunity  to  explain  in  detail  the  method 
of  dealing  with  confiscated  goods.  The  area  enclosed  by 
the  numerous  Legations  being  extensive,  it  was  inevitable 
that  many  Chinese  families  who  had  no  connection  either 
with  foreigners  or  with  the  Boxers  should  find  them- 
selves gradually  encircled  with  troops,  making  entrance 
and  exit  increasingly  difficult,  and  a prosecution  of  their 
ordinary  business  impossible. 

As  time  went  on  most  of  these  families  became  alarmed 
at  the  outlook  and  fled  while  it  was  not  yet  too  late,  some 
of  them,  however,  leaving  behind  trustworthy  servants 
to  look  after  their  premises.  But  numberless  dwelling 
houses  and  many  shops  were  absolutely  deserted,  some 
of  the  latter  being  well  stocked  with  goods  of  many  sorts, 
and  many  of  the  former  being  well  furnished.  In  the 
confusion  of  the  time  it  was  inevitable  that  many  shops 
and  houses  should  be  exposed  to  raids  from  neighbours 
who  remained,  as  well  as  from  needy  Christians,  many  of 


THE  “INTERNATIONAL”  GUN  “OUR  BETSEY  11 


SIEGE  LIFE 


373 

whom  had  fled  for  their  lives  with  only  the  clothing 
which  they  wore. 

Soon  after  the  general  gathering  into  the  British  Le- 
gation, when  it  became  necessary  to  check  promiscuous 
pillage  and  to  secure  a wise  use  of  the  miscellaneous 
articles  thus  placed  within  reach,  Dr.  Ament  was  ap- 
pointed a committee  with  plenary  powers.  An  impromptu 
depository  of  second-hand  clothing  was  established  on  the 
tennis  court  lawn,  resembling  the  storeroom  of  a Chinese 
pawnshop.  For  many  days  it  supplied  hundreds  of  Chi- 
nese with  clothing  and  bedding  for  themselves  and  their 
families,  until  the  demand  appeared  to  be  fairly  met. 
But  many  Chinese  were  unable  while  at  work  to  guard 
their  possessions,  and  others  ruined  their  clothes  in  the 
heavy  rains,  or  while  labouring  in  the  damp  trenches  or 
on  the  wall ; these  had  to  be  resupplied,  yet  still  the  inflow 
kept  on.  Foreigners,  too,  drew  liberally  from  the  same 
source,  until  the  superintendence  of  the  business  became 
a heavy  load  of  responsibility  and  care. 

When  there  was  a scarcity  of  material  for  sand  bags 
the  Chinese  women  cut  apart  many  wadded  garments, 
whose  legs  and  arms,  filled  with  earth,  were  used  to  add 
to  the  prophylactic  embankments  on  the  walls  and  house- 
tops. In  quest  of  bag  material,  scores  (perhaps  hun- 
dreds) of  Chinese  houses  were  entered,  but  nothing  was 
anywhere  taken  by  force.  Some  of  these  dwellings  had 
already  been  visited  and  largely  despoiled,  but  others  were 
fresh  fields  and  pastures  new.  A great  variety  of  articles 
which  at  first  appeared  to  have  no  relation  to  the  wants 
of  a beleaguered  garrison,  ultimately  proved  to  be  most 
useful,  especially  tools  from  a blacksmith’s  shop  and  an 
old  Chinese  cannon  nicknamed  “ Betsy,”  or  “ The  Inter- 
national.” Some  of  the  abandoned  dwellings  had  been 
forsaken  in  hot  haste,  and  contained  elegant  garments, 


374 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


pieces  of  silk,  furs,  valuable  chinaware,  clocks  and  curios. 
A large  quantity  of  such  articles  was  found  in  the  Su 
Wang  Fu.  One  of  the  Japanese  barricades  was  largely 
composed  of  trunks  full  of  priceless  raiment,  seized  as 
the  most  available  material ; all  of  this  was  ruined  by 
contact  with  earth,  or  by  rains,  or  was  destroyed  in  the 
fires. 

The  Christians  lodged  in  the  Su  Wang  Fu  gave  early 
information  of  the  probable  concealment  of  a considerable 
quantity  of  sycee  silver,  which  was  brought  away  and 
stored  in  the  strong  room  of  the  British  Legation  until 
the  close  of  the  siege.  Small  guns  were  also  found  in 
some  of  the  shops,  and  also  many  irredeemable  bank  bills. 
On  one  occasion  about  seventy  taels  was  discovered  in  a 
coal  pile,  and  other  amounts  were  doubtless  confiscated 
by  the  Chinese  on  their  own  account. 

The  owners  of  two  foreign  stores  on  Legation  Street 
decided  to  abandon  them,  bringing  into  the  Legation  what- 
ever could  be  saved.  As  the  siege  became  closer  and  the 
risk  in  visiting  the  stores  became  evident  by  the  whis- 
tling of  bullets  and  the  killing  of  one  of  the  workmen, 
the  owner  of  the  larger  one  gave  notice  that  whoever 
wished  to  take  any  of  the  remaining  articles  was  wel- 
come to  do  so.  It  was  an  unfortunate  and  ill-judged  step, 
which  for  a few  days  made  looting  legal,  and  so  facili- 
tated the  universal  diffusion  of  intoxicating  liquors  that 
an  order  was  soon  issued  forbidding  any  one  what- 
ever to  visit  the  place  without  the  express  permission 
of  the  General  Committee.  Thereafter,  the  articles  res- 
cued were  put  into  the  hands  of  a commissariat  and  is- 
sued only  upon  due  requisition,  a course  which  should 
have  been  adopted  from  the  first. 

During  the  brief  reign  of  unchecked  lawlessness  the 
general  demoralization  was  very  great.  Many  messes 


SIEGE  LIFE 


375 


of  poor  Chinese  ate  their  rice  out  of  broken  crockery,  but 
with  the  addition  perhaps  of  a plate-glass  mirror  set  in  a 
plush  frame,  or  a cut-glass  syrup  pitcher  flanked  by  a 
marble  clock.  The  commissariat  issued  not  only  stores 
and  utensils  but  everything  which  came  to  hand.  All  the 
memoranda  of  the  progress  of  the  siege  were  entered  in 
note  books,  with  pencil  or  pen  and  ink,  all  of  which  had 
been  secured  by  application  to  the  obliging  supply  com- 
mittee. One  had  but  to  make  his  necessities  sufficiently 
known  to  insure  such  a supply  for  them  as  the  case  ad- 
mitted, for  the  besieged  in  a most  literal  sense  had  all 
things  common. 

The  bulletin  boards,  where  were  posted  the  translations 
of  the  “ Peking  Gazettes  ” obtained  during  the  armistice, 
were  surrounded  for  days  with  a crowd  that  exhibited  the 
keenest  interest  in  the  utterances  of  that  unique  publica- 
tion. Many  of  these  were  printed  many  weeks  before, 
but  some  of  them  were  highly  important,  and  most  of 
them  quite  new. 

The  most  important  utterance  among  them  was  a de- 
cree issued  the  day  after  the  murder  of  the  German  Min- 
ister, but  significantly  making  no  reference  whatever  to 
that  occurrence.  It  is  a window  through  wrhich  the 
Chinese  side  of  the  international  question  may  be  seen. 
It  ran  as  follows  : 

“ Ever  since  the  foundation  of  the  dynasty,  foreigners 
coming  to  China  have  been  kindly  treated.  In  the  reign 
of  Tao  Kuang  and  Hsian  Feng  they  were  allowed  to 
trade;  they  also  asked  leave  to  propagate  their  religion,  a 
request  which  the  Throne  reluctantly  granted.  At  first 
they  were  amenable  to  Chinese  control,  but  for  the  past 
thirty  years  they  have  taken  advantage  of  China’s  for- 
bearance to  encroach  on  China’s  territory  and  trample  on 
the  Chinese  people  and  to  demand  China's  wealth.  Every 


376 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


concession  made  by  China  increased  their  reliance  on  vio- 
lence. They  oppressed  peaceful  citizens  and  insulted 
the  gods  and  holy  men,  exciting  the  most  burning  indig- 
nation among  the  people.  Hence  the  destruction  of  the 
chapels  and  the  slaughter  of  converts  by  the  patriotic 
braves.  The  Throne  was  anxious  to  avoid  war  and  issued 
edicts  enjoining  the  protection  of  the  Legations  and  pity 
to  the  converts.  The  decrees  declaring  Boxers  and  con- 
verts to  be  equally  the  children  of  the  State  were  issued 
with  the  hope  of  removing  the  old  feud  between  people 
and  converts  and  extreme  kindness  was  shown  to  the 
strangers  from  afar. 

“ But  these  people  knew  no  gratitude  and  increased 
their  pressure.  A despatch  was  yesterday  sent  by  Du 
Chaylard,  Doyen  of  the  Consular  body  at  Tientsin,  call- 
ing on  us  to  deliver  up  the  Taku  forts  into  their  keeping, 
otherwise  they  would  be  taken  by  force.  These  threats 
show  their  aggressions.  In  all  matters  relating  to  inter- 
national intercourse  we  have  never  been  wanting  in 
courtesies  to  them ; but  they,  while  styling  themselves 
civilized  States,  have  acted  without  regard  for  right,  re- 
lying solely  on  their  military  force. 

“ We  have  now  reigned  nearly  thirty  years  and  have 
treated  the  people  as  our  children,  the  people  honouring 
us  as  their  deity ; and  in  the  midst  of  our  reign  we 
have  been  the  recipients  of  the  gracious  favour  of  the 
Empress  Dowager.  Furthermore  our  ancestors  have 
come  to  our  aid  and  the  gods  have  answered  to  our 
call,  and  never  has  there  been  so  universal  a mani- 
festation of  loyalty  and  patriotism.  With  tears  have 
we  announced  the  war  in  the  ancestral  shrines.  Better 
to  do  our  utmost  and  enter  on  the  struggle  than  seek 
some  means  of  self  preservation  involving  eternal  dis- 
grace. All  our  officials,  high  and  low,  are  of  one  mind, 


SIEGE  LIFE 


377 


and  there  have  assembled  without  official  summons  sev- 
eral hundred  thousand  patriotic  soldiers  [Boxers],  even 
children  carrying  spears  in  the  service  of  their  country. 
Those  others  rely  on  crafty  schemes ; our  trust  is  in 
heaven’s  justice.  They  depend  on  violence,  we  on  hu- 
manity. Not  to  speak  of  the  righteousness  of  our  cause, 
our  provinces  number  more  than  twenty,  our  people  over 
four  hundred  millions,  and  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  vindi- 
cate the  dignity  of  our  country.” 

Another  Decree,  in  the  “ Gazette  ” of  June  21st,  ex- 
presses the  satisfaction  with  which  the  Throne  has  re- 
ceived the  report  of  the  Governor  General  of  Chihli,  Yu 
Lu,  of  the  successful  engagements  at  Tientsin  on  the 
I7th-i9th  of  that  month,  and  gives  much  praise  to  the 
Boxers  who  have  done  great  services  without  any  assist- 
ance either  of  men  or  money  from  the  State.  Great 
favour  will  be  shown  them  later  on,  and  they  must  con- 
tinue to  show  their  devotion.  The  phraseology  of  the 
Decrees  already  cited  serve  as  an  excellent  specimen  of 
the  Janus-faced  utterances  of  the  Empress  Dowager  in 
regard  to  the  Boxers.  They  are  violators  of  treaties,  have 
been  often  rebuked  and  must  now  positively  disperse, 
yet  a few  days  later  they  are  loyal  and  patriotic,  and  de- 
serve well  of  their  Empress,  who  will  reward  them. 

On  the  24th  of  June  the  Board  of  Revenue  is  ordered 
to  give  Kang  I two  hundred  bags  of  rice  for  distribution 
as  provisions  among  the  Boxers.  Still  another  Decree 
of  the  same  date  mentions,  as  previously  quoted,  that  since 
the  Boxers — now  styled'  “ Boxer  Militia  ” — are  scattered 
all  around  Peking  and  Tientsin,  it  is  necessary  and  proper 
that  they  should  have  Superintendents  placed  over  them 
(in  other  words  be  definitely  and  fully  accepted  as  in  the 
employ  of  the  Chinese  Government).  Accordingly  Prince 
Chuang,  and  the  Assistant  Grand  Secretary  Kang  I were 


378 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


appointed  to  the  general  command,  Ying  Nien  to  act  as 
brigadier  general  of  the  left  wing,  and  Tsai  Lan  of  the 
right.  All  the  members  of  the  I Ho  T’uan  (it  is  re- 
marked) are  exerting  their  utmost  energies,  and  the  Im- 
perial Family  must  not  fall  behind  in  harbouring  revenge 
against  our  enemies.  It  is  Our  confident  hope  that  the 
desires  of  each  and  all  be  successfully  consummated,  and 
it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  no  lack  of  energy  be 
shown. 

On  the  27th,  Edicts  commanded  Yu  Lu  to  retake  the 
Taku  Forts,  and  to  prevent  the  foreign  troops  from  creep- 
ing northward ; and  ordered  the  distribution  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  taels  of  silver  to  the  divisions  of  troops 
in  the  Metropolitan  districts,  and  a like  sum  to  the  Box- 
ers assisting  them. 

During  these  weeks  there  are  frequent  references  in 
memorials  and  in  Imperial  Decrees  to  the  general  law- 
lessness which  had  resulted  from  the  encouragement  to 
irresponsible  private  individuals,  as  well  as  to  soldiers, 
to  take  vengeance.  Were  there  no  other  proof,  these 
documents  alone  would  show  that  the  Capital  and  its  en- 
virons were  under  a reign  of  terror,  against  which  there 
are  numerous  protests  both  from  Censors  and  from  the 
Empress  herself. 

But  the  mischief  is  always  laid  to  those  who  pretended 
to  belong  to  the  Boxer  Militia  in  order  to  plunder  and 
kill,  and  it  is  these  (and  not  the  Boxers  as  a class)  who 
are  ordered  to  be  rigorously  dealt  with.  On  the  2nd 
of  July  another  important  Edict  appeared,  under  the 
aegis  of  which  the  slaughter  of  all  foreigners,  mission- 
aries not  more  than  others,  and  the  extermination  of  all 
native  Christians  who  would  not  recant,  became  a duty. 

“ Ever  since  Foreign  Nations  began  the  propaga- 
tion of  their  religion  there  have  been  instances  through- 


SIEGE  LIFE 


379 


out  the  country  of  ill-feeling  between  the  people  and  the 
converts.  All  this  is  due  to  faulty  administration  on  the 
part  of  local  authorities,  giving  rise  to  feuds.  The  truth 
is  that  the  converts  also  are  children  of  the  State,  and 
among  them  are  not  wanting  good  and  worthy  people; 
but  they  have  been  led  away  by  false  doctrines,  and  have 
relied  on  the  missionary  for  support,  with  the  result  that 
they  have  committed  many  misdeeds.  They  hold  to  their 
errors  and  will  not  turn  from  them,  and  irreconcilable 
enmity  has  thus  grown  up  between  the  converts  and  the 
people. 

“ The  Throne  is  now  exhorting  every  member  of  the 
Boxer  Militia  to  render  loyal  and  patriotic  service,  and 
to  take  his  part  against  the  enemies  of  his  country,  so 
that  the  whole  population  may  be  of  one  mind.  Knowing 
that  the  converts  are  also  subjects  owing  fealty  to  the 
Throne,  we  also  know  that  they  can  bring  themselves 
to  form  a class  apart  and  invite  their  own  destruction. 
If  they  can  change  their  hearts  there  is  no  reason  why 
they  should  not  be  allowed  to  escape  from  the  net.  The 
Viceroys  and  Governors  of  the  Provinces  are  all  there- 
fore to  give  orders  to  all  local  officials  to  issue  the  fol- 
lowing notification : All  those  among  the  converts  who 
repent  of  their  former  errors  and  give  themselves  up  to 
the  authorities,  shall  be  allowed  to  reform,  and  their 
past  shall  be  ignored.  The  public  shall  also  be  notified 
that  in  all  places  where  converts  reside,  they  shall  be  al- 
lowed to  report  to  the  local  authorities,  and  each  case  will 
be  settled  according  to  general  regulations  which  will  be 
drawn  up  later. 

“ As  hostilities  have  now  broken  out  between  China  and 
Foreign  Nations,  the  missionaries  of  every  country  must 
be  driven  away  at  once  to  their  own  countries,  so  that 
they  may  not  linger  here  and  make  trouble.  But  it  is 


380 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


important  that  measures  be  taken  to  secure  their  protec- 
tion on  their  journey.  The  high  provincial  authorities 
shall  make  close  investigation  into  the  circumstances  of 
all  places  within  their  jurisdiction,  and  speedily  take  the 
necessary  steps.  Let  there  be  no  carelessness.  (The 
above  Decree  is  to  be  circulated  for  general  informa- 
tion.) ” 

The  putting  forth  of  this  Edict  was  doubtless  regarded 
by  its  authors  as  the  happy  issue  of  a long  and  doubtful 
contest,  in  which  China  by  a few  sweeps  of  a camel’s- 
hair  pencil  had  now  obliterated  forty  years  of  the  Past, 
and  entered  upon  a new  era ! 

On  the  9th  of  July  Li  Hung  Chang  was  appointed 
Viceroy  of  Chihli,  and  Superintendent  of  the  Trade  which 
the  rulers  of  China  had  by  this  time  extinguished  in  that 
part  of  the  Empire.  Pending  Li’s  arrival,  the  former 
Governor  General,  Yu  Lu,  was  to  consult  with  Prince 
Ch’ing  as  to  the  best  measures  to  be  taken,  and  the  latter 
are  warned  against  a slackening  of  responsibility. 

On  the  12th  of  July  Gen.  Nieh,  who  fought  near  Tien- 
tsin, is  severely  rated  for  his  failures  and  blunders  and 
deprived  of  his  rank  although  retained  in  command  (a 
favourite  Chinese  punishment),  and  in  the  same  sentence 
his  death  at  the  head  of  his  troops  is  mentioned  without 
comment. 

On  July  15th  the  Acting  Governor  of  Shansi  quotes 
a Decree  which  had  been  issued  on  the  20th  of  June  to 
the  several  Governors  General,  and  Governors,  in  which 
the  following  significant  sentence  occurs : “ They  must 
suggest  plans  for  safe-guarding  the  boundaries  of  the 
Empire  against  the  aggressive  designs  of  the  foreigner, 
and  see  that  reenforcements  be  sent  to  the  assistance  of 
the  Capital,  in  order  that  no  disaster  befall  the  Dynasty.” 

Three  days  later  appeared  a Decree  which  sets  forth 


SIEGE  LIFE 


381 

another  aspect  of  the  international  troubles,  again  refers 
to  the  murder  of  the  Japanese  Chancellor,  and  for  the 
first  time  mentions  that  of  the  German  Minister,  nearly 
a month  previous,  carefully  avoiding  the  least  informa- 
tion as  to  the  circumstances. 

By  this  time  the  pressure  of  events  succeeding  the 
capture  of  Tientsin  began  to  be  severely  felt  in  Peking, 
and  the  dissensions  among  the  followers  of  the  Empress 
were  at  their  maximum. 

“ The  reason  for  the  fighting  between  the  Chinese  and 
the  foreigners  sprung  from  a disagreement  between  the 
people  and  the  Christian  converts.  We  could  but  enter 
upon  war  when  the  forts  at  Taku  were  taken.  Never- 
theless the  Government  is  not  willing  lightly  to  break  off 
the  friendly  relations  which  have  existed.  We  have  re- 
peatedly issued  Edicts  to  protect  the  Ministers  of  the  dif- 
ferent countries.  We  have  also  ordered  the  missionaries 
in  the  various  provinces  to  be  protected.  The  fighting 
has  not  yet  become  extensive.  There  are  many  mer- 
chants of  the  various  countries  within  our  dominions. 
All  alike  should  be  protected.  It  is  ordered  that  the 
Generals  and  Governors  examine  carefully  where  there 
are  merchants  or  missionaries,  and  still,  according  to  the 
provisions  of  the  treaties,  protect  them  without  the  least 
carelessness.  Last  month  the  Chancellor  of  the  Japanese 
Legation  was  killed.  This  was  indeed  most  unexpected. 
Before  this  matter  had  been  settled,  the  German  Minister 
was  killed.  Suddenly  meeting  this  affair  caused  us  deep 
grief.  We  ought  vigorously  to  seek  the  murderer  and 
punish  him. 

“ Aside  from  the  fighting  at  Tientsin,  the  Metropolitan 
Department  (Shun  Tien  Fu)  and  the  Governor  General 
of  this  province  should  command  officers  under  them 
to  examine  what  foreigners  have  been  causelessly  killed, 


382 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


and  what  property  destroyed,  and  report  the  same,  that 
all  may  be  settled  together.  The  vagabonds  who  have 
been  burning  houses,  robbing  and  killing  the  people  these 
many  days  have  produced  a state  of  chaos.  It  is  ordered 
that  the  Governors  General,  Governors,  and  high  military 
officials  clearly  ascertain  the  circumstances,  and  unite  in 
reducing  the  confusion  to  order  and  quiet,  and  root  out 
the  cause  of  the  disturbance.” 


FORTIFIED  BRIDGE  ACROSS  THE  MOAT  NEAR  LEGATION  STREET 


XXI 


DAYS  OF  WAITING 

SUNDAY,  July  22. — Early  this  morning  some  of 
the  Chinese  went  out  through  the  water-gate  into 
the  southern  city  to  buy  fruit,  but  when  others 
tried  it  a little  later  they  were  fired  upon,  so  that  the 
market  is  spoiled.  Labour  on  the  barricades  was  sus- 
pended at  11  a.  m.,  the  first  time  this  has  been  practicable, 
as  on  most  of  the  previous  Sundays  work  has  been  more 
urgent  than  on  other  days. 

The  courier  to  Tientsin  with  messages  got  off  about 
noon,  and  the  package  was  so  large  that  he  asked  to  have 
its  size  reduced  a little  for  better  concealment.  (To 
many  friends  of  the  besieged  the  word  brought  by  this 
courier  was  the  first  gleam  of  hope  after  almost  utter 
despair.)  The  baby  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  John  Inglis  died 
during  the  day,  and  was  buried  at  nightfall, — one  of  the 
six  infants  who  succumbed  during  the  siege. 

It  is  rumoured  that  the  Japanese,  always  the  most  en- 
terprising collectors  of  outside  reports,  have  heard  that 
our  troops  have  already  got  half  way  to  Peking  travel- 
ling along  the  bank  of  the  river.  Tung  Fu  Hsiang  is 
said  to  have  lost  his  influence,  and  his  men  are  scattering 
from  him,  but  according  to  others  he  has  gone  out  to 
oppose  our  troops.  The  Chinese  have  put  up  a new 
barricade  in  the  Hanlin.  A Chinese  soldier  has  in- 
formed some  one  that  we  are  now  surrounded  by  only 
about  900  men. 


383 


384 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Monday,  July  23. — A'  heavy  rain  came  on  in  the 
evening  yesterday  and  kept  up  all  night.  There  were 
many  collapses  of  barricades,  and  in  the  Hanlin  a part 
of  a house-wall  suddenly  fell,  covering  the  mattresses 
upon  which  the  volunteers  had  just  been  lying.  The 
buildings  in  Peking  are  as  insubstantial  as  any  others  in 
China,  often  being  composed  of  small  pieces  of  bricks 
not  larger  than  one’s  fist,  bound  loosely  together  with 
mud  and  a mere  suggestion  of  lime.  The  result  is  that 
whenever  a heavy  and  continuous  rain-fall  occurs,  the 
walls  may  be  heard  falling  in  all  directions — often  to  the 
danger  of  those  living  within  the  flimsy  structures.  The 
rain  is  very  destructive  to  the  sand  bags,  especially  to 
the  more  expensive  ones,  which  are  not  meant  for  such  a 
strain  as  this.  Many  of  them  collapse  into  mere  heaps 
of  slush. 

Early  this  morning  the  Norwegian  whose  mind  had 
become  unbalanced  took  advantage  of  the  rain,  the  dark- 
ness, and  the  slumbering  guards,  British  and  Chinese, 
to  make  his  escape  over  the  wall,  desirous  of  speedily 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Chinese,  where  it  is  feared 
he  will  not  fare  so  well  as  he  expects.  It  is  said  that 
despite  the  apparent  diminution  in  the  number  of  Chinese 
troops,  they  are  building  new  barricades.  Yesterday  a 
dog  was  sent  from  one  of  their  fortifications  to  one  of 
ours,  with  a letter  in  his  mouth — all  that  is  left  in  Peking 
of  the  Imperial  Postal  Service! 

Tuesday,  July  24. — It  was  very  hot  in  the  night,  so 
that  many  could  not  sleep.  The  Japanese  Secretary  of 
Legation,  Mr.  Harahara,  died  of  tetanus,  greatly  re- 
gretted both  by  foreigners  and  Japanese.  He  had  the 
reputation  of  a great  knowledge  of  China,  and  was  uni- 
versally liked.  There  appeared  to  be  a severe  attack  upon 
the  Pei  Tang  last  night,  judging  by  the  constant  sounds 


DAYS  OF  WAITING 


385 


of  firing  there.  On  the  wall  the  coolies  worked  at  the 
barricade  till  after  nine  o’clock,  when  the  Chinese  began 
firing  on  them,  and  the  work  stopped. 

Notwithstanding  the  “ truce  ” firing  goes  on,  and  four 
Chinese  have  been  wounded  in  the  Fu  to-day,  as  well  as 
one  Italian.  A mat-shed  has  been  erected  over  the  de- 
fences at  the  front  gate  of  the  British  Legation,  to  pre- 
vent it  from  being  ruined  by  the  heavy  rain,  and  only  one 
shot  was  fired  by  the  Chinese. 

After  dark  a notice  was  posted  that  Col.  Shiba  had  seen 
a Chinese  who  told  him  that  foreign  troops  occupied 
Yang  Ts’un  on  the  17th,  and  fought  a battle  on  the  19th. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  wounded  Chinese  of  Tung  Fu 
Hsiang’s  army  are  said  to  have  been  brought  to  Peking, 
and  foreign  troops  were  forty  li  this  side  of  Yang  Ts’un. 
This  news  is  discredited  by  Mr.  Conger  and  many  others, 
as  being  too  fast  an  advance  for  the  time  during  which 
troops  must  have  been  on  the  way. 

Wednesday,  July  25. — About  1 A.  m.,  we  were 
startled  by  hearing  a great  many  rifle-shots  in  succession, 
mainly  from  the  direction  of  the  Mongol  market,  indi- 
cating that  a renewed  attack  was  beginning,  but  it  was  all 
over  in  less  than  five  minutes.  It  is  reported  that  yester- 
day a Japanese  shot  a Chinese  who  was  getting  over  his 
barricade,  a Chinese  in  retaliation  shot  a Chinese  Chris- 
tian, when  the  Japanese  returned  the  fire ; the  Chinese 
then  wounded  an  Italian,  on  which  a British  marine 
killed  the  man  who  shot  him! 

Two  days  ago  there  were  rumours  of  a large  Chinese 
force  from  Pao  Ting  Fu.  which  would  soon  attack  the 
Legations.  Now  it  is  said  that  troops  are  coming  in  from 
the  Western  Park,  to  be  separated  into  two  divisions 
at  two  of  the  Peking  gates.  There  is  a rumour  that  there 
was  an  attempt  to  blow  up  the  Pei  T’ang  recently,  but 


386 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


that  it  did  not  succeed,  or  that  at  least  the  Cathedral  was 
not  injured.  The  Chinese  soldier  who  has  been  giving 
information  to  the  Japanese,  now  informs  them  that  a 
battle  was  fought  on  the  24th,  between  Ts’ai  Ts’un  and 
Ho  Hsi  Wu,  lasting  from  noon  till  midnight,  after  which 
the  Chinese  retired  on  Ho  Hsi  Wu. 

A flag  of  truce  was  sent  during  the  day  to  the 
German  Legation  with  several  letters.  One  of  these 
is  to  Sir  Claude  from  “ Prince  Ch’ing  and  Others  ” say- 
ing that  a great  many  inquiries  are  being  made  of  the 
Chinese  Government  as  to  the  safety  of  the  Ministers. 
The  Chinese  Government  is  willing  to  send  replies  from 
the  Ministers  to  these  inquiries,  but  they  must  have  noth- 
ing in  them  of  a military  nature,  and  must  be  in  plain 
writing,  not  in  cipher.  Another  document  raises  once 
more  the  proposal  of  removing  the  Legations  to  Tientsin, 
pointing  out  that  the  number  of  rebellious  people  daily 
increases,  and  that  something  unforeseen  is  liable  to 
happen.  (It  has  already  happened,  however).  Travel 
is  temporary,  residence  is  permanent,  and  an  escort  could 
be  provided  which  would  make  the  journey  perfectly  safe. 
China  does  not  want  war.  What  means  are  proposed  to 
stop  it?  It  would  be  better  to  settle  matters  at  Tientsin, 
therefore  the  Ministers  are  asked  to  pack  up,  and  name 
a fixed  day  in  order  that  provision  may  be  made  for  their 
travel. 

A messenger  disguised  as  a fortune-teller  was  sent  out 
with  a repetition  of  the  last  batch  of  messages.  The  man 
that  was  sent  to  procure  a number  of  “ Peking  Gazettes  ” 
has  returned,  having  experienced  some  trouble  and  dan- 
ger, for  which  he  was  rewarded  with  fifty  taels. 

Thursday,  July  26. — Only  a few  stray  shots  in  the 
night,  which  was  very  hot  and  was  followed  by  a day 
of  the  same  sort.  The  fortune-telling  messenger  did  not 


DAYS  OF  WAITING 


387 


get  away  after  all,  being  dissatisfied  with  some  detail  of 
his  costume.  At  first  his  despatches  were  rolled  up  in 
the  handle  of  an  old  umbrella,  but  this  was  criticized  as 
too  obvious,  and  he  is  now  ruminating  on  a variation  of 
dress  for  another  attempt  later. 

The  Japanese  Soldier-Information-Bureau  (now  ri- 
pened into  “ one  of  Tung  Fu  Hsiang’s  body-guard  ”) 
to-day  offers  the  very  latest.  There  was  another  fight 
at  Ho  Hsi  Wu  yesterday,  lasting  till  3 p.  m.,  twelve  hun- 
dred Chinese  being  killed  and  wounded.  The  Chinese 
force  included  5,000  soldiers  and  3,000  Boxers.  Li  Ping 
Heng  is  said  to  have  reached  Peking,  and  the  plan  to 
deport  the  Ministers  is  thought  to  be  his.  In  the  after- 
noon the  Ho  Hsi  Wu  battle  was  revised  so  as  to  have 
begun  at  six  o’clock,  the  Chinese  being  driven  back  ten  li. 
By  the  same  opportunity  we  learned  that  4,800  troops 
had  come  in  from  the  west,  but  they  had  left  to  join  the 
Chinese  army,  with  nine  guns. 

Mr.  Conger  puts  absolutely  no  faith  in  any  of  these 
reports,  but  many  others  give  them  a qualified  credence, 
“ so  as  to  hit  it  if  it  were  a deer,  and  miss  it  if  it  were  a 
calf.” 

During  the  night  there  were  continual  isolated  rifle- 
shots to  show  that  we  are  watched,  but  no  replies  came 
from  us. 

Friday,  July  27. — Much  cooler  last  night.  After 
breakfast  there  were  rumours  that  a man  had  arrived 
from  T’ung  Chou,  with  the  same  man  who  has  come  so 
often  before,  bringing  a report  that  the  Chinese  intend 
to  make  their  last  stand  at  T’ung  Chou,  and  that  if  they 
should  be  defeated  there,  the  Court  would  retire  to  Hsi 
An  Fu,  the  distant  capital  of  the  province  of  Shensi, 
for  which  journey  carts  are  said  to  have  been  already 
impressed. 


388 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


The  messenger  who  was  to  go  out  as  a fortune-teller 
has  made  his  second  effort  to  get  away  and  failed.  The 
first  time  he  was  let  down  over  the  wall,  met  Chinese 
soldiers  and  pretended  that  he  was  sent  to  inspect  their 
camp,  but  they  told  him  that  he  could  not  get  there  with- 
out a pass.  Then  he  pulled  the  rope,  and  was  hauled  up 
again  upon  the  wall.  The  next  time  was  at  the  east  gate 
of  the  Fu,  where  he  found  himself  surrounded  by  bar- 
ricades and  became  frightened. 

To-day  at  noon  he  tried  the  third  time.  He  had  pro- 
cured a Boxer  uniform,  but  he  could  not  make  any  use 
of  it.  Two  soldiers  were  willing  to  help  him  out,  one 
to  be  the  security  for  the  other.  The  latter  remained 
within  our  surveillance,  while  the  other  took  the  mes- 
senger to  a distance  of  several  li.  When  he  left  the 
messenger,  the  latter  handed  him  a small  piece  of  a for- 
eign lady’s  hair-pin  as  a pledge,  a token  unknown  to  the 
security  who  had  remained.  Upon  presenting  this  hair- 
pin certificate  that  the  safe-conduct  had  been  honourably 
executed,  the  two  men  were  paid  ten  taels.  The  mes- 
senger was  to  have  two  hundred  taels  on  his  arrival  at 
Tientsin,  with  his  thirteen  letters.  (It  is  remarkable 
that  all  this  elaborate  preparation  was  worse  than  wasted. 
There  was  some  little  doubt  about  the  trustworthiness  of 
the  man,  but  he  was  not  seriously  suspected.  When  he 
had  got  beyond  the  city  he  was  advised  by  his  brother 
either  to  kill  himself  outright,  or  go  to  the  headquarters 
of  Prince  Chuang,  and  make  a full  confession,  thus  en- 
suring his  own  escape  from  punishment.  This  he  did, 
and  all  the  thirteen  letters  were  sent  out  to  the  translators 
of  the  Tsung  Li  Yamen,  who  soon  put  them  into  circula- 
tion in  the  Imperial  Court,  where  those  of  them  that  were 
not  in  cipher  were  doubtless  much  enjoyed — as  so  many 
of  their  predecessors  had  already  been). 


DAYS  OF  WAITING 


389 


The  Ministers  yesterday  had  another  meeting  to  con- 
sider what  form  of  sound  words  to  employ  in  replying 
to  Prince  Ch’ing  and  his  “ Others,”  so  as  to  keep  the 
matter  in  suspense  as  long  as  possible,  with  a minimum 
of  definiteness — an  aim  for  which  diplomatic  training  is 
supposed  to  fit  everyone  perfectly.  With  regard  to  the 
matter  of  plain  telegraphing,  it  was  to-day  replied  that 
no  Government  would  accept  such  telegrams,  and  no 
Ministers  could  send  them,  for  they  would  not  be  accord- 
ing to  usage,  and  would  therefore  defeat  the  very  end 
proposed,  which  was  to  impart  information  as  to  the 
condition  of  the  Ministers.  Furthermore,  it  was  impossible 
to  affirm  that  the  families  of  the  Ministers  are  well,  as 
they  have  suffered  from  the  five  weeks  siege,  and  the 
lack  of  accustomed  food.  As  for  the  omission  of  mili- 
tary information,  this  was  easy  to  arrange,  as  the  Ministers 
had  no  information  in  regard  to  the  military  situation, 
and  therefore  would  be  under  no  risk  of  sending  that 
kind  of  intelligence. 

The  Japanese  soldier-spy  has  told  them  that  Jung  Lu 
has  five  regiments  (liang-tzu)  at  the  Pei  T’ang,  two  at 
the  Hou  Men,  or  North  gate  of  the  Imperial  city,  three 
surrounding  the  Legations,  while  three  more  have  gone 
to  meet  the  foreign  troops.  Two  hundred  carts  have 
been  summoned  to  the  Palace  for  the  removal  of  the 
Court,  and  seventy  more  for  Gen.  Tung  Fu  Hsiang. 

A Chinese  who  had  beaten  his  wife  was  to-day  put 
into  a small  light  cangue,  or  frame-work  about  his  neck, 
near  the  bell-tower,  the  cangue  bearing  an  inscription : 

“ THIS  MAN  BEAT  HIS  WIFE  AND  IS  NOW  PUNISHED  FOR 

it.”  He  is  surrounded  much  of  the  time  by  a curious 
crowd,  both  of  foreigners  and  Chinese,  who  regard  it  as 
a novelty ; indeed,  there  is  reason  for  supposing  that  it  is 
the  first  case  in  the  history  of  the  Chinese  Empire — though 


39° 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


this  is  undoubtedly  a rash  statement  to  make  about  any- 
thing. 

There  was  a sensation  during  the  afternoon  on  the 
arrival  of  red  cards  and  a quantity  of  fruit,  etc.,  for  the 
Ministers,  and  a separate  lot  for  Sir  Robert  Hart.  The 
approximate  census  of  the  provision  consignment  is  as 
follows:  Melons,  150;  cucumbers,  100;  squashes,  100; 
flour,  1,000  catties;  eggs,  500;  ice,  24  blocks.  In  regard 
to  the  acceptance  of  these  Imperial  gifts  there  was,  at 
this  as  at  other  times,  wide  divergence  of  opinion.  Some 
refused  to  partake  of  them  in  any  way,  and  wished  them 
returned  or  declined.  The  controversy  was  sharply  ar- 
gued on  both  sides,  one  of  the  Ministers  being  even  me- 
morialized by  a deputation  of  ladies  against  the  acceptance 
of  such  treacherous  bounty. 

There  was,  however,  no  difference  of  opinion  about 
the  imprudence  of  using  any  of  the  flour,  at  least  until 
it  had  first  been  tried  upon  a dog, — a suggestion  presented 
by  deputations  of  native  Christains,  which  commended 
itself  to  all.  It  was  put  aside  till  urgently  required,  and 
had  not  been  touched  when  the  Relief  Force  arrived,  but 
it  was  subsequently  used  with  no  apparent  ill  effects. 
These  gifts  were  as  before  merely  acknowledged  by  a 
receipt. 

A letter  to  the  Ministers  through  Sir  Claude  from  the 
Prince  Ch’ing  combination  suggests  that  the  number  of 
converts  in  the  Legation  premises  is  reported  to  be  large, 
and  the  space  small.  The  feeling  is  now  quiet  abroad, 
and  the  converts  may  very  well  be  sent  out,  and  directed 
to  pursue  their  avocations.  There  need  be  no  doubt  and 
fear.  It  is  requested  that  the  number  of  them  be  esti- 
mated, and  a day  fixed  for  sending  them  out. 

Sir  Claude  did  not  consider  it  worth  his  while  to  con- 
sult the  Christians  as  to  whether  they  wished  to  facilitate 


DAYS  OF  WAITING 


39i 


their  own  massacre  by  leaving  their  only  place  of  refuge, 
and  no  reply  to  this  artless  communication  was  returned. 
In  the  evenings  there  are  frequent  gatherings  around  the 
bell-tower  for  singing. 

Several  songs  have  been  composed  bearing  upon  the 
siege,  which  have  become  very  popular.  The  Russians 
sing  their  fine  national  air,  the  Germans  “ Die  Wacht  am 
Rhein,”  the  British  “ God  Save  the  Queen,”  and  the 
Americans  the  “ Star  Spangled  Banner,”  with  great  good 
fellowship. 

The  messenger  reports  that  a foreigner  has  been  cap- 
tured by  the  Chinese,  in  a very  forlorn  and  unkempt  con- 
dition. We  recognized  him  as  an  escaped  Norwegian 
about  whom  we  wrote  on  the  25th  a note  of  inquiry.  Fie 
is  reported  to  have  been  taken  to  the  headquarters  of  Jung 
Lu,  who  examined  him  and  then  sent  him  to  the  yamen 
of  the  prefect  of  Peking  where  he  now  is. 

Saturday,  July  29th. — The  two  ponies  killed  this  morn- 
ing were  found  to  have  been  preempted  by  a parasite 
( filaria ) in  the  flesh,  making  them  unwholesome  and 
dangerous.  As  the  Chinese  are  never  deterred  by  any 
trifles  of  this  nature,  tbe  meat  was  accordingly  sent  over 
to  the  Fu,  and  another  pony  substituted  for  the  foreigners. 

A sensation  was  caused  by  the  arrival  of  the  boy  who 
was  sent  out  on  the  night  of  July  4th,  disguised  as  a 
beggar.  He  brings  a letter  to  Sir  Claude  replying  to 
his  of  the  4th  which  gave  the  details  of  the  siege  up 
to  that  time,  and  the  number  of  killed  and  wounded,  and 
which  stated  that  Chinese  troops  had  fired  into  the  Lega- 
tion quarter  continuously  since  June  20th,  and  that  the 
Legations  were  hard  pressed. 

Notice  of  the  contents  of  the  letter  from  Tientsin,  which 
is  written  by  the  British  Consul,  is  posted  on  the  bulletin 
board  as  follows:  “Tientsin,  July  22nd.  Your  letter 


392 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


July  4th.  There  are  now  24,000  troops  landed,  and 
19,000  here.  Brig.  Gen.  Gaselee  expected  Taku  to-mor- 
row. Russian  troops  are  at  Pei  Ts’ang.  Tientsin  city  is 
under  foreign  government,  and  Boxer  power  here  is  ex- 
ploded. There  are  plenty  of  troops  on  the  way  if  you 
can  keep  yourself  in  food.  Almost  all  the  ladies  have 
left  Tientsin.  D.  R.  Carles.” 

The  more  this  strange  communication  was  con- 
templated, the  more  extraordinary  it  appeared.  The  one 
vital  question  to  persons  in  a state  of  continuous  siege 
is  as  to  when  relief  may  be  expected,  and  on  this  point 
the  letter  not  only  gave  no  information  whatever,  but 
its  phraseology  was  so  ambiguous  as  to  be  unintelligible. 
Even  the  number  of  available  troops  was  left  a matter  of 
debate,  the  whole  culminating  in  the  singular  intelli- 
gence that  “ there  are  plenty  of  troops  on  the  way  if 
you  can  keep  yourself  in  food.”  This  led  to  the  very 
natural  inquiry,  what  would  become  of  the  troops  if  Sir 
Claude  found  that  he  could  not  keep  himself  in  food? 

It  was  not  until  long  afterward  that  it  became  dimly 
known  that  the  benevolent  purpose  of  the  writer  of  the 
letter  was  to  disguise  the  fact — which  it  was  thought 
might  be  fatally  depressing  to  the  besieged — that  at  pres- 
ent there  was  nothing  whatever  in  immediate  prospect  for 
their  relief,  and  that  they  might  as  well  adjust  them- 
selves to  these  conditions. 

The  messenger  lad  reported  that  he  left  the  Red  Bridge 
above  Tientsin  July  23rd,  and  slept  at  Yang  Ts’un  in  a 
locomotive  boiler.  The  railway  bridge  there  was  not  de- 
stroyed. That  day  he  saw  only  Chinese  infantry — the 
main  body  being  at  Pei  Ts’ang  8 miles  west  of  Tientsin. 

He  saw  no  Boxers  there.  The  night  of  the  24th  he 
spent  near  Ho  Hsi  Wu.  That  day  he  saw  parties  of 
Boxers  in  the  villages,  but  none  on  the  road.  At  Ma 


DAYS  OF  WAITING 


393 


T’ou  the  river  was  in  flood,  many  boats  moored,  but  few 
in  motion.  On  the  27th  he  reached  the  Sha  Kuo  gate  of 
Peking.  The  telegraph  poles  and  wire  along  the  river  were 
all  gone,  the  railway  was  everywhere  torn  up,  and  the 
rails  either  buried  or  used  for  making  Boxer  swords.  The 
highway  to  Tientsin  was  in  good  condition.  The  crops 
everywhere  looked  well,  and  the  villagers  were  attending 
to  their  farm  work.  There  was  a Boxer  organization  in 
every  village. 

When  the  messenger  left  Tientsin  the  foreign  troops 
had  not  advanced  beyond  the  defence  wall.  All  the  ya- 
mens  in  Tientsin  were  occupied  by  foreign  troops — chiefly 
Japanese.  All  Boxers  had  left  the  front  at  Tientsin,  be- 
cause they  were  so  badly  punished  in  battle.  The  Chinese 
soldiers  despised  them  because  of  the  contrast  between 
their  previous  extravagant  pretensions  to  invulnerability 
and  their  present  flight. 

The  Japanese  subsidized  body-guard  soldier  of  Tung 
Fu  Hsiang  informs  them  that  there  has  been  “ a battle  ” 
at  An  P’ing  on  the  26th,  when  there  were  seven  hundred 
Chinese  killed,  their  army  retreating  on  Ma  T’ou.  A 
miltary  Harmony  has  now  been  constructed  with  a view 
to  reconciling  the  dates  given  by  the  body-guard  expert, 
with  the  evidently  authentic  information  of  the  messenger 
lad,  as  follows : 

Summary  of  Battles  under  the  patronage  of  the  soldier 
of  Gen.  Tung  Fu  Hsiang:  Ts’ai  Ts’un  battle,  July  24th; 
Ho  Hsi  Wu  battle,  July  25th ; An  P’ing  battle,  July  26th ; 
Chinese  army  at  Ma  T’ou,  July  27th.  The  messenger 
boy  reports  that  he  slept  at  Yang  Ts’un  on  the  23rd,  Ho 
Hsi  Wu,  24th,  Ma  T’ou,  25th,  Yii  Chia  Wei,  26th,  Peking, 
27th.  There  is  thus  no  material  contradiction  between 
these  reports. 

The  word  of  the  intended  escape  of  the  Empress  Dow- 


394 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


agcr  is  confirmed  by  four  others,  as  well  as  the  soldier- 
spy.  Yesterday  an  experiment  was  made  in  getting  rude 
cobbling  done  by  one  of  the  Christians,  and  watch-repair- 
ing by  a Roman  Catholic  refugee. 

Sunday,  July  29th. — Last  night  there  seemed  to  be 
heavy  firing  about  the  Pei  Tang,  or  Northern  Cathedral. 
Early  in  the  morning  the  intellectually  aberrant  Nor- 
wegian was  brought  to  our  lines  by  a Chinese  guard, 
looking  much  like  a wreck.  He  had  been  manacled,  and 
remarked  that  all  the  gold  in  the  world  would  not  induce 
him  to  repeat  the  experience.  It  gradually  leaked  out  that 
he  was  asked  a great  number  of  leading  questions  by  Jung 
Lu,  and  others,  showing  that  they  have  a very  correct 
knowledge  of  what  is  going  on  inside  the  Legation  prem- 
ises. One  inquiry  was  about  the  pits  which  were  being 
dug,  probably  the  bomb-proofs,  and  another  as  to  the 
amount  of  damage  done  by  the  Chinese  firing.  The  Nor- 
wegian gave  the  whole  thing  away  by  frankly  stating 
that  the  Chinese  fired  too  high,  and  as  there  was  soon 
after  a marked  depression  of  the  muzzles  of  their  rifles 
(and  of  the  spirits  of  the  besieged  to  match)  it  was  pro- 
posed to  shoot  the  man  as  a deserter  and  a spy.  More 
temperate  counsels  prevailed,  however,  and  he  was  thence- 
forth kept  in  a state  of  surveillance  until  the  siege  termi- 
nated. 

An  Austrian  marine,  who  was  acting  as  a cook  in  his 
Legation  at  the  time  it  was  abandoned,  says  that  when  the 
order  was  given  to  retreat,  he  was  at  work  in  the  cook- 
house and  knew  nothing  of  it,  supposing  that  the  firing 
was  due  to  the  Boxers,  and  was  unimportant.  Hearing 
the  bullets  whizzing  he  went  out  to  see,  and  was  imme- 
diately struck  with  the  total  absence  of  any  Austrians 
at  the  barricade ; he  was  himself  soon  hit  by  a bullet  that 
made  a flesh-wound  in  both  legs.  Crawling  back  to  the 


DAYS  OF  WAITING 


395 


guard-room  he  wrote  his  name  in  his  own  blood  on  the 
wall,  explaining  that  circumstance,  lest  he  should  die 
unknown  to  the  rest.  Finding  that  the  Chinese  did  not 
enter,  he  tore  up  his  clothing,  made  rough  bandages  ,and 
crawled  to  the  barricade  at  the  Customs,  pursued  by 
bullets.  It  is  now  generally  recognized  by  impartial  ob- 
servers that  the  abandonment  of  the  Austrian  Legation  at 
the  time  was  utterly  inexcusable. 

Mr.  Sugi  the  dispenser  of  Japanese-Chinese  intelligence 
has  taken  a small  house  just  outside  the  Japanese  lines, 
opening  on  the  Customs  lane,  where  he  receives  messages 
and  whence  he  dispatches  couriers.  His  body-guard 
soldier  to-day  informs  him  that  there  are  25,000  Chinese 
troops  at  Ma  T’ou  awaiting  the  foreign  army,  which  is 
30,000  strong  and  retired  yesterday  on  An  P ing. 

A messenger  sent  out  to  Ch'ang  P’ing  Chou,  north- 
west of  Peking,  met  refugees  from  Tu  Shih  K’ou.  There 
are  said  to  be  Russian  troops  coming  hither  by  way  of 
Kalgan,  but  whence  is  a dense  mystery  known  only  to 
the  immortal  gods.  It  is  now  affirmed  that  all  but  two 
of  the  gates  of  Peking  are  stopped  with  sand  bags. 

During  the  afternoon  the  Chinese  began  to  build  a new 
barricade  along  the  south  side  of  the  bridge  which  crosses 
the  canal  under  the  walls  of  the  Imperial  city.  This  was 
at  once  observed  from  the  north  stables,  and  reported. 
The  Italian  gun  was  sent  up  there  to  attack  the  work- 
men, and  fired  several  shots,  until  the  gunner  (Italian) 
got  a bullet  through  his  hand. 

The  method  of  the  Chinese  was  very  business-like  and 
effective.  There  was  no  one  in  sight,  but  now  and  again 
a brick  or  two  came  around  the  corner,  and  then  others 
were  thrown  on  it,  until  the  wall  began  to  show  up. 
Sometimes  a box  full  of  earth  or  bricks  was  suddenly 
pushed  around  adding  to  the  fast  growing  barricade,  but 


396 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


still  no  one  in  sight.  The  shots  fired  at  them  did  the 
Chinese  no  harm,  and  did  not  in  the  least  impede  their 
work.  Before  dark  the  new  wall  stretched  along  the 
whole  bridge  front,  and  during  the  night  it  was  completed, 
very  high  and  strong.  Much  of  their  work  elsewhere 
was  done  like  this,  and  having  practically  unlimited  ma- 
terials and  labour,  they  were  able  to  execute  a great  deal 
in  a short  time.  Everyone  sympathized  with  the  Russian 
gentleman  who  remarked  the  next  morning : “ That  new 
barricade  makes  me  very  uneasy.” 

Another  and  rival  messenger  just  in  from  Somewhere, 
tells  us  that  Yang  Ts’un  was  completely  destroyed  by 
foreign  troops  “two  or  three  days  ago,”  they  being  in 
steady  advance.  This  makes  necessary  a revised  Har- 
mony of  the  Peking  Anabasis,  involving  great  intellectual 
labour  and  highly  uncertain  results. 

A few  “ Peking  Gazettes  ” have  been  secured,  but 
there  is  nothing  of  commanding  interest.  The  issue  of 
July  23rd  contains  a long  joint  memorial  from  Yu  Lu,  the 
Governor  General  of  Chihli,  and  Gen.  Sung  Ch’ing,  giving 
confused  details  of  the  attacks  upon  the  Foreign  Settle- 
ment from  the  8th  to  the  nth  of  July.  The  “ Gazette  ” 
of  July  nth  also  had  a long  memorial  of  the  same  de- 
scription from  the  Governor  General.  The  Chinese  losses 
are  admitted  to  have  been  severe,  but  then  those  of  the 
enemy  were  “ not  small.”  The  Empress  Dowager  is  com- 
forted by  information  that  the  Arsenal  at  the  Treaty 
Temple  is  not  so  injured  that  it  can  not  be  repaired.  The 
tone  of  the  later  memorial,  which  was  sent  two  days  be- 
fore the  last  and  successful  foreign  attack,  is  much  less 
hopeful,  giving  details  of  the  numerous  foreign  forces 
present  and  prospective,  and  each  of  them  makes  it  plain 
that  “ large  reenforcements  ” will  be  needed. 

A paragraph  from  the  former  memorial  is  interesting 


DAYS  OF  WAITING 


397 


as  illustrating  Chinese  strategy  under  depressing  con- 
ditions: “I  have  consulted,”  Yu  Lu  says,  “with  Gen. 
Ma  Yii  K’un,  about  the  mode  of  continuing  the  warfare, 
and  we  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  in  the  first 
place  it  is  necessary  to  force  the  foreign  troops  to  retire 
from  the  foreign  settlement  of  Tientsin,  and  then  to  at- 
tack them  at  Taku.  I have  consulted  on  this  subject 
several  times  with  Generals  Ma,  Nieh,  and  Lo,  and  we 
hope  to  be  able  to  take  the  Taku  Forts.”  A Rescript  ap- 
proves this  mode  of  action  (as  well  it  might,  considering 
that  it  is  the  Report  of  a Committee  of  Civil  and  Military 
Rats  as  to  the  best  Method  of  Putting  a Large  Bell  on 
several  Foreign  Cats  now  in  possession  of  Our  Attic). 

In  a memorandum  by  the  same  Governor  published 
at  the  same  time,  he  informs  the  Throne  that  “ Boxers 
of  different  places  in  my  province  have  at  different  times 
arrived  at  Tientsin,  and  taken  part  in  the  battles.  At 
present  there  is  a Boxer-chief  of  the  district  of  Ching  Hai 
who  has  come  with  5,000  Boxers,  and  presented  himself 
to  me.  Seeing  that  he  is  a man  physically  strong  and 
mentally  capable,  I have  ordered  him  to  choose  a resi- 
dence and  await  instructions.  I have  also  directed  that 
fire-arms  and  provisions  should  be  distributed  to  his  fol- 
lowers. In  case  of  any  merit  on  his  part  in  future,  a 
special  report  will  be  made  by  me  on  the  subject.”  A 
Decree  announces  that  as  a reward  for  the  numerous  vir- 
tues of  Jung  Lu,  he  is  to  be  allowed  to  ride  with  two 
bearers  through  the  Forbidden  City  (a  privilege  which 
he  was  unable  to  retain  for  any  length  of  time.) 

Monday,  July  30th. — The  new  barricade  at  the  head 
of  the  canal  commands  the  whole  roadway  on  each  side 
down  to  the  city  wall,  and  although  passage  is  forbidden, 
there  are  many  shots  fired  at  the  pertinacious  Chinese 
who  will  take  the  more  dangerous  route,  instead  of  the 


398  CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 

perfectly  safe  one  through  the  tunnel.  A Roman  Catholic 
was  killed  this  morning  outside  one  of  the  houses  near 
the  Fu,  along  the  canal  road.  A Cossack  who  was  suf- 
fering from  malaria  took  this  morning  a twelfth  of  a 
grain  of  strychnine  by  mistake  for  quinia,  but  he  was 
saved  from  the  toxic  effects  with  some  difficulty. 

It  is  a great  strain  on  the  human  understanding  to 
digest,  and  especially  to  coordinate  the  incessant  contra- 
dictory reports  which  come  from  every  quarter.  Here 
is  to-day’s  budget : Col.  Shiba’s  messenger  says  that  he 
left  Chang  Chia  Wan  (three  miles  from  T’ung  Chou)  at 
eight  o’clock  on  the  evening  of  the  29th.  There  had  been 
desultory  fighting  there  from  3 to  8 P.  M.,  and  many 
Chinese  were  killed.  The  foreign  troops  had  advanced 
on  Ma  T’ou  on  the  morning  of  the  29th,  the  Chinese  fall- 
ing back  upon  Chang  Chia  Wan,  with  about  10,000  men. 
in  the  afternoon  a candy-seller  from  T’ung  Chou,  who 
had  been  sent  out  as  a spy,  returns  with  the  story  that 
there  are  foreign  troops  at  Yang  Ts’un  but  none  this 
side.  As  this  is  not  the  news  we  wish,  the  man  is  tied 
up,  until  he  can  revise  it!  He  also  informs  us  that  Li 
Hung  Chang  is  here,  and  has  been  given  three  days  to 
make  peace.  A courier  was  sent  off  early  this  morning 
with  eleven  letters,  and  during  the  day  it  was  reported 
that  two  who  had  been  dispatched  yesterday  by  Mr.  Sugi 
had  returned.  One  of  them  has  brought  word  of  a battle 
just  south  of  Ma  T’ou,  on  the  29th  (or  28th.)  These 
men  say  that  they  saw  a man  who  had  been  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  village  of  Chia  Chia  T’uan,  eight  miles  from 
T’ung  Chou,  who  reports  that  foreign  troops  have  come 
there  to  relieve  the  Catholics,  who  have  been  standing  a 
little  siege  of  their  own. 

There  are  wild  and  contradictory  accounts  of  what  is 
seen  from  the  American  position  on  the  wall,  looking 


DAYS  OF  WAITING 


399 


down  into  the  southern  city,  singular  movements  of  carts, 
horses,  coolies,  etc.,  in  great  confusion.  It  is  said  that  Sir 
Robert  has  received  a cipher  telegram  of  nearly  an  hun- 
dred words  for  which  he  has  no  cipher  key — so  that  it  is 
unintelligible. 

A reply  was  sent  to-day  to  the  letter  suggesting  that 
the  Chinese  Christians  might  return  to  their  “ avoca- 
tions,” now  that  the  country  is  quiet.  The  Ministers 
mention  that  in  view  of  this  statement  they  were  sur- 
prised at  the  sound  of  heavy  firing  at  the  Pei  T’ang,  which 
was  evidently  being  attacked.  The  barricade  at  the  north 
canal  bridge  is  referred  to,  and  the  fact  that  a continuous 
fire  is  kept  up  from  there,  and  also  against  the  French 
and  the  Russian  Legations.  There  is  a strange  contra- 
diction between  the  above  professions  and  the  actions 
described.  There  are  European  officers  and  soldiers  at 
the  Pei  T’ang.  If  such  attacks  as  these  can  not  be  pre- 
vented, it  is  difficult  to  see  how  similar  assaults  could  be 
prevented  on  a journey  to  Tientsin.  Explanations  are 
wanted  in  regard  to  this  matter,  before  discussing  the 
question  of  transport. 

Prince  Ch’ing  and  his  “ Others  ” in  reply  informed  the 
Ministers  that,  in  the  preparation  for  the  journey  to  Tien- 
tsin, the  Chinese  Government  would  of  course  provide 
carts  and  chairs  for  going  to  T'ung  Chou.  Brig.  Gen. 
Sun  Han  Lien  with  a picked  force,  and  also  some  of  Gen. 
Sung  Ming’s  troops  would  be  the  escort ; notice  a few 
days  in  advance  is  requested.  In  reply  to  the  letter  just 
quoted  it  is  explained  that  the  attack  on  the  Pei  T’ang 
was  due  to  the  converts  going  out  in  all  directions  to 
plunder  for  food.  The  people  joined  the  crowd  of  Box- 
ers, and  made  continuous  attacks.  A Decree  has  now 
been  issued  that  if  the  converts  do  not  come  out  to  plunder 
they  are  to  be  protected  and  not  attacked.  The  troops 


400 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


of  Gen.  Tung  were  building  a road  across  the  canal,  and 
the  Legation  mistook  it  for  a barricade,  which  was  a mis- 
understanding on  both  sides.  With  regard  to  the  pro- 
posed departure,  it  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  adjust.  It 
was  only  after  much  arrangement  that  it  was  possible 
to  give  guarantees  against  mischance.  The  matter  is  one 
of  the  greatest  importance,  and  we  could  not  purposely 
deceive.  We  ask  you  not  to  be  over  anxious,  but  to  come 
to  a decision. 

Tuesday,  July  31. — During  the  night,  there  was  what 
one  of  the  British  marines  called  “ a tidy  bit  of  firing  ” 
down  the  canal.  The  Chinese  complain  that  we  fired  first 
on  them  as  they  were  working  on  their  “ road  ” (barri- 
cade), which  is  true.  Despite  their  promise  of  cessation 
of  hostilities,  the  Chinese  do  not  suspend  their  firing  any- 
where. The  supply  of  eggs  has  never  been  large,  and 
now  that  the  Chinese  have  beheaded  a man  who  was 
bringing  supplies  for  sale,  and  the  French  guards  have 
shot  an  egg-seller,  there  are  not  likely  to  be  any  more. 

The  Chinese  soldier-spy  brings  to  the  Japanese  his 
usual  tale  of  military  news.  The  foreign  army  advanced 
from  Ma  T’ou  fighting,  arriving  at  Chang  Chia  Wan 
late  on  the  afternoon  of  the  30th.  The  Chinese  army  is 
eight  miles  south  of  T'ung  Chou.  The  “ Ch’ang  An  Vic- 
torious Army  ” of  fifteen  regiments,  which  left  Hsian 
Fu  June  27th,  is  expected  at  the  Southern  Blunting  Park 
to-day,  and  is  to  make  a forced  march  to  T’ung  Chou. 
It  is  thought  that  there  may  be  4,000  or  5,000  of  them, 
and  as  they  are  not  foreign  drilled  they  will  add  but  little 
to  the  Chinese  strength  in  a military  way. 

The  five  great  armies  hitherto  controlled  by  Jung  Lu 
are  said  to  have  been  turned  over  to  Li  Ping  IBeng,  who 
had  arrived  from  the  south  a few  days  before  in  obedi- 
ence to  a special  summons,  and  whose  influence  was  at  once 


DAYS  OF  WAITING 


401 


thrown  into  the  scale  in  favour  of  further  hostilities,  so 
that  they  began  to  be  more  pronounced  in  every  direc- 
tion. Tung  Fu  Hsiang  has  leave  of  absence  for  ten  days. 
Li  Hung  Chang  (who  is  already  in  Peking)  will  arrive 
at  Tientsin  in  two  days.  A dispatch  from  Chi  Nan  Fu 
reports  that  Yuan  Shih  K’ai,  the  Governor  of  Shantung 
has  “ revolted  and  joined  the  Germans ! ” 

A party  of  Mr.  Gamewell's  men  who  were  at  work 
on  the  fortifications,  were  to-day  called  off  to  make  a 
“ brick -proof  ” for  the  north-west  corner  of  the  Han- 
lin,  where  bricks  and  bottles  are  coming  over  almost 
every  minute,  and  “ make  the  men  nervous.”  The  Hague 
Peace  Conference  should  have  included  these  weapons  in 
its  condemnation,  along  with  the  “ dum-dum  bullet.”  A 
barricade  has  been  built  in  the  night  across  the  north  side 
of  the  bridge  at  the  Legation  Street.  At  present  the 
bridge  is  very  unsafe,  owing  to  the  perpetual  sniping 
from  the  Chinese  barricade  at  the  upper  bridge. 


XXII 

THE  RENEWAL  OF  THE  ATTACK 

WEDNESDAY,  August  i. — During  the  night 
the  mentally  unbalanced  Norwegian  broke 
away  from  the  Japanese  Legation  where  he 
was  under  restraint,  and  went  to  the  Hotel  de  Pekin.  The 
proprietor  brought  him  to  the  British  Legation  at  2 A.  m., 
whence  he  was  sent  back  to  be  put  under  watch  again. 
The  barricade  at  the  south  gate  of  this  Legation,  to  pro- 
tect the  crossing  of  the  canal,  was  finished  last  night,  and 
we  can  now  breathe  a little  more  freely,  but  still  there  is 
a certain  (or  rather  a very  uncertain)  amount  of  danger 
in  going  to  Legation  Street  by  this  route. 

The  Committee  on  Food  Supply  have  been  very  active 
in  getting  together  everything  which  could  be  used,  and 
especially  in  the  steady  and  most  important  work  of  get- 
ting the  grinding  done  properly  and  in  season.  Upon 
this  the  continued  existence  of  all  the  besieged  depends. 
As  the  duration  of  the  siege  is  so  uncertain  and  the 
matter  is  one  of  vital  importance,  careful  stock-taking  has 
been  had  as  to  the  visible  food  supply.  There  seem  to  be 
about  600  pounds  only  of  white  rice,  11,500  of  the  “yel- 
low,” or  old  rice,  and  34,000  pounds  of  wheat.  If  all  other 
supplies  were  unavailable,  it  is  estimated  that  the  public 
stores  could  furnish  one  thousand  persons  each  a pound 
of  wheat  and  one  third  of  a pound  of  rice  each  day,  for 
five  weeks.  There  are  about  thirty  available  ponies  re- 


402 


BRITISH  LEGATION  GATE,  FUEL  SUPPLY  COMMITTEE 


THE  RENEWAL  OF  THE  ATTACK  403 


maining,  which  at  the  rate  of  three  every  two  days  would 
last  twenty  days. 

A visit  to  the  wall  shows  a vast  improvement  in  the 
defences  there  as  compared  with  the  period  when  the  first 
effort  was  made  to  build  a worm  fence  of  bricks  to  the 
top  of  the  ramp.  Now  this  has  been  completed,  and  is 
perfectly  safe  from  shots  in  any  direction.  Each  of  the 
barricades  on  the  wall  is  built  up  very  high  and  strong, 
and  could  not  be  rushed  by  the  Chinese  even  if  they  had 
the  disposition,  which  since  the  night  of  July  3rd  they 
have  never  exhibited.  Between  the  two  terminal  barri- 
cades there  is  a long  path  on  the  wall,  protected  all  the 
way  so  as  to  be  entirely  safe  for  passage.  The  western 
barricade  is  held  conjointly  by  Americans  and  Russians. 

Another  letter  from  “ Prince  Ch’ing  and  Others  ” has 
been  received,  continuing  the  subject  of  the  previous  cor- 
respondence. It  says  that  last  night  some  converts  again 
fired  on  the  posts  of  the  Government  troops,  wounding 
two  of  them.  If  the  converts  are  not  amenable  to  control, 
it  is  to  be  feared  that  they  will  produce  a great  dis- 
aster, and  ruin  the  whole  situation.  The  strictest  re- 
straint is  requested  so  as  to  avoid  further  hostilities.  We 
hear  that  the  converts  have  collected  in  great  numbers, 
and  that  they  do  not  wish  the  Envoys  to  leave  Peking, 
their  hope  being  that  they  will  thus  have  a perpetual 
support.  The  Foreign  Ministers  ought  not  to  fall  into 
this  trap.  A reply  is  requested  within  two  or  three  days, 
as  to  the  date  of  the  Minister’s  departure. 

It  seemed  best  to  the  Ministers  to  respond  as  if  they 
were  arguing  with  rational  beings,  as  there  was  no  cer- 
tainty into  whose  hands  the  correspondence  might  fall. 
Accordingly  a reply  was  sent  to  this  nonsense  the  follow- 
ing day.  The  Legation  is  defended,  not  by  “ converts,” 
but  by  guards.  All  day  and  all  night  there  had  been  shoot- 


404 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


ing  from  the  new  barricade  on  the  north  bridge,  and  not  a 
shot  was  fired  in  reply.  It  is  difficult  to  see  why  this  is 
kept  up.  The  Foreign  Envoys  are  in  great  difficulty 
about  the  plan  to  go  to  Tientsin  on  a certain  day.  What 
security  could  the  Legations  have  that  the  firing  would 
not  begin  en  route? 

It  is  learned  from  the  telegrams  received  through  the 
Tsung  Li  Yamen  to-day,  that  Mr.  Conger’s  telegram  of 
July  17th  saying  that  the  Legations  had  been  bombarded 
by  shot  and  shell  for  a month,  had  made  a great  sensa- 
tion, and  that  relief  would  be  sent.  It  is  singular  that 
both  the  tidings  of  our  distress  and  the  intelligence  of  the 
effect  produced  by  the  announcement  of  it,  should  each 
have  been  transmitted  through  the  Tsung  Li  Yamen.  A 
Shantung  Christian  named  Chang,  who  was  dispatched  to 
Tientsin  on  the  18th  of  July,  returned  to-day  with  a reply 
to  the  Japanese  Baron  Nishi  from  Gen.  Fukushima,  say- 
ing that  there  had  been  unexpected  difficulties  in  the  land- 
ing of  the  5th  Japanese  Division,  but  that  most  of  the 
troops  had  already  reached  Tientsin  and  the  remainder 
were  constantly  arriving.  The  messages  sent  out  from 
Peking  had  made  the  situation  there  universally  known, 
and  many  councils  had  been  held  as  to  dispatch  of  a 
relief  expedition.  It  was  expected  that  within  two  or 
three  days  from  the  date  of  writing,  which  was  July 
26th,  an  expedition  would  start. 

Other  letters  brought  the  same  or  similar  intelligence, 
which  makes  it  clear  that  the  reports  which  have  been 
coming  in  so  frequently  and  so  regularly  from  the  heavily 
subsidized  body-guard  soldier-spy  of  Gen.  Tung  Fu 
Hsiang’s  are  deficient  in  the  element  of  coordination  with 
other  facts  of  contemporaneous  history — in  other  words 
they  are  pure  fabrications,  which  have  served  their  one 
purpose  of  holding  the  attention  of  the  besieged,  and 


THE  RENEWAL  OF  THE  ATTACK  405 


which  have  kept  them  studying  the  map  and  making  esti- 
mates of  the  probable  present  situation  of  “ our  troops.” 
Those  who  had  all  along  discredited  the  military  narra- 
tives, were  enabled  to  say  with  much  and  iterative  em- 
phasis : “ I told  you  so.” 

This  last  messenger,  although  he  had  been  promised  a 
large  reward  for  executing  the  commission  which  he  had 
so  well  fulfilled,  said  that  he  did  not  care  for  money, 
would  not  accept  it,  and  only  insisted  that  he  should  be 
furnished  with  a return  packet  of  letters  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. He  explained  that  he  was  risking  his  life  for  the 
general  good,  and  not  for  private  gain.  To  the  Japanese, 
as  well  as  to  some  others,  he  appeared  to  be  a very  eccen- 
tric individual.  Within  two  hours  he  was  sent  off  again 
on  the  coveted  errand. 

A telegram  to  Sir  Robert  Hart  mentions  the  results 
of  the  fighting  at  Tientsin  July  15th,  and  states  that  sub- 
sequent to  it  arrangements  for  the  relief  were  being  ha- 
stened, and  inquiries  whether  the  Chinese  Government  is 
protecting  us  and  supplying  us  with  provisions,  etc. 

This  last  sentence  exposes  the  “ true  inwardness  ” of 
the  water-melons,  egg-plants,  and  cucumbers,  all  of  which 
had  been  sent  in  not  for  the  purpose  of  serving  as 
food,  but  as  padding  for  the  dispatches  of  the  Chinese 
Ministers  to  various  Western  Powers,  all  of  whom  were 
now  assured  that  the  Government  was  doing  its  utmost 
to  make  the  besieged  experience  ideal  happiness,  so  that 
their  lot  was  upon  the  whole  an  enviable  one. 

It  is  reported  from  Japanese  sources  that  their  losses 
in  killed  have  been  ten,  (including  the  Chancellor  of  the 
Legation)  of  whom  five  are  soldiers,  three  Legation  of- 
ficials, one  an  officer,  and  one  a civilian.  There  have  been 
seven  badly  wounded,  and  thirty  slightly  so.  The  dead  are 
buried  in  a special  spot  in  the  grounds  of  the  Su  Wang 


406 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Fu,  and  when  the  siege  is  over  the  bodies  are  to  be  taken 
up,  cremated,  and  the  ashes  transferred  to  Japan. 

During  the  siege  a litter  of  kittens  has  made  its  ap- 
pearance, two  of  which  have  been  adopted  by  the  ma- 
rines in  the  main  gate,  have  had  coloured  ribbons  put  on 
their  necks,  and  sleep  serenely  in  the  loop-holes ! 

Thursday,  August  2. — One  of  the  Continental  Min- 
isters who  was  for  a long  time  very  timid  and  pessimis- 
tic, remarked  in  our  gate-house  this  morning : “ Well, 
we  are  going  to  get  out  of  this.”  He  seems  to  think  the 
thermometer  is  rising. 

The  two  soldier-spies  returned  to-day,  and  one  gave 
an  account  of  the  retreats  of  their  phantom  foreign  armies 
as  far  as  Yang  Ts’un!  He  was  somewhat  alarmed  at 
finding  his  fictions  rated  at  their  true  value.  Instead  of 
falling  into  a passion,  as  the  unskilful  Occidental  would 
have  been  likely  to  do,  his  shrewd  Japanese  employer 
smiled  upon  him,  and  remarked  that  he  was  aware  all 
along  that  the  tales  were  a tissue  of  fabrications,  inso- 
much that  he  had  never  even  mentioned  them  to  Col. 
Shiba  at  all ! Considering  that  each  day  a careful  ab- 
stract of  the  reports  had  been  drawn  up,  illustrated  with 
maps,  and  the  whole  at  once  posted  on  the  bulletin  board, 
this  was  almost  as  robust  a falsehood  as  the  marching 
and  retreats  of  the  imaginary  forces  from  Tientsin.  In- 
stead of  being  dismissed,  the  soldier  was  told  that  he 
would  still  be  paid,  if  he  would  hereafter  bring  in  reports 
which  were  somewhat  more  veracious  than  any  of  those 
which  had  preceded,  but  from  this  date  he  ceased  to  be 
quoted  by  any  one  as  a military  authority. 

A man  who  was  sent  out  for  the  purpose,  returned  to- 
day with  a fresh  lot  of  “ Peking  Gazettes,”  which  con- 
tain some  crumbs  of  news. 

On  the  28th  of  July  a memorial  appears  from  Yu  Hsien, 


THE  RENEWAL  OF  THE  ATTACK  407 


the  Governor  of  Shansi,  who  reports  that  the  district 
magistrate  of  the  capital  of  his  province,  T'ai  Yuan  Fu, 
had  sent  word  of  a Boxer  gathering  which  invaded  his 
yamen  and  had  asked  for  troops.  Upon  investigation  the 
Governor  learned  that  the  crowd  was  a small  one,  and 
that  only  one  man  had  come  to  the  yamen  demanding 
food,  and  he  was  not  a Boxer.  He  recommends  the  dis- 
missal of  the  magistrate.  (There  is  probably  much  more 
in  this  little  incident  than  appears  upon  the  surface,  and 
it  not  improbably  signifies  that  Yii  Hsien  was  engaged  in 
inculcating  the  teaching  among  his  subordinates  that 
Boxers  were  not  to  be  interfered  with,  and  that  any 
official  guilty  of  obstructing  them  would  be  promptly 
cashiered.) 

The  same  Governor  mentions  that  he  was  about  dis- 
patching four  “ camps  ” of  infantry  and  two  hundred  cav- 
alry to  Peking,  in  obedience  to  a Decree,  but  that  in  ac- 
cordance with  a later  Decree  their  destination  was  changed 
to  Kalgan.  He  also  reports  that  he  is  about  to  raise 
fresh  regiments.  (It  was  learned  later  that  he  marched 
at  the  head  of  his  troops  for  the  relief  of  Peking  as  far 
as  Huai  Lu  Hsien,  at  the  entrance  to  the  Ku  Kuan  pass 
leading  from  Chihli  to  Shansi.  Learning  that  Peking  had 
already  been  taken,  he  returned  to  his  own  capital,  where 
he  later  welcomed  the  Empress  Dowager  on  her  flight  to 
the  remote  west.) 

A Decree  of  which  the  date  is  uncertain,  but  apparently 
of  July  28th,  states  that  Hsii  Ching  Ch’eng  and  Yuan 
Ch'ang,  two  of  the  Ministers  of  the  Tsung  Li  Yamen, 
had  been  denounced  as  of  bad  reputation,  and  as  given 
to  serving  their  private  ends  in  dealing  with  foreign 
affairs.  At  an  Imperial  audience  they  have  made  wild 
proposals,  and  used  the  most  improper  language.  Their 
suggestions  have  tended  to  introduce  divisions  (i.  e.  be- 


408 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


tween  the  Empress  Dowager  and  the  Emperor)  and  have 
been  extremely  wanting  in  respect.  In  order  to  inspire 
awe  in  the  minds  of  other  officers  they  are  both  con- 
demned to  immediate  execution.  (The  above  two  officials 
were  sacrificed  to  the  fury  of  the  Empress,  apparently  at 
the  instigation  of  Li  Ping  Heng  immediately  upon  his 
arrival  at  Peking.  Hsii  Ching  Ch’eng  was  the  Chinese 
President  of  the  new  Imperial  University,  had  been 
Chinese  Minister  to  Russia,  and  was  an  enlightened  and 
liberal  man.  At  an  Imperial  audience  of  unusual  impor- 
tance the  Emperor  reached  over  the  dais  upon  which  he 
was  seated,  grasped  the  sleeve  of  Hsii,  and  exclaimed, 
“If  China  is  to  fight  the  World,  will  it  not  put  an  end  to 
China?”  At  this  the  numerous  Manchu  nobles  present 
manifested  great  indignation,  and  someone  cried  out  that 
Hsii  had  laid  hands  upon  His  Majesty,  and  began  to  re- 
vile him  openly.  He  retired  as  soon  as  he  was  able,  very 
much  frightened.  The  same  day  Li  Ping  Heng  is  re- 
ported to  have  reached  the  Capital,  and  the  following  day 
both  Hsii  and  Yuan  were  executed.  Their  real  crime 
was  in  daring  to  advise  against  the  insane  course  of  the 
Empress  Dowager,  as  urged  by  Prince  Tuan  and  the 
rest,  in  endeavouring  to  find  some  way  of  adjusting  the 
growing  difficulties,  in  alleged  truckling  to  foreigners  by 
visiting  the  Legations  secretly,  and  in  taking  up  the  body 
of  the  German  Minister  when  it  lay  exposed  in  the  street, 
and  encoffining  it.)  It  was  at  once  perceived  that  this 
was  a most  ominous  proceeding,  displaying  the  temper 
of  the  actual  rulers  of  China  as  nothing  had  yet  done. 

Yesterday  preparations  were  made  for  extending  our 
line  to  the  southwest  of  the  British  Legation,  by  taking 
in  the  ruins  of  burned  buildings  near  the  Mongol  Mar- 
ket, and  making  barricades  of  them  with  a view  to  keep- 
ing the  Chinese  at  a greater  distance.  This  was  done  to- 


THE  RENEWAL  OF  THE  ATTACK  409 


day  by  Mr.  Gamewell  and  his  men,  under  Lieutenant 
von  Strauch  of  the  Customs  (formerly  of  the  German 
Army),  a brave  and  skillful  officer,  who  threw  himself 
into  the  new  movement  with  the  greatest  zeal.  The  work 
was  designedly  begun  at  a time  when  the  Chinese  sol- 
diers are  usually  torpid  (taking  their  opium  and  resting 
after  the  fatigues  of  their  early  rising),  and  the  work 
was  for  a long  time  not  even  discovered.  It  has  enlarged 
the  area  under  our  control  by  a space  perhaps  fifty  yards 
wide  to  the  west,  and  stretching  the  entire  distance  from 
the  Carriage  Park  on  the  north  to  the  Russian  Legation 
on  the  south.  Many  court-yards  were  crossed,  many 
houses  perforated,  and  a final  barricade  made  of  flag- 
stones in  the  one  furthest  west.  When  at  last  the 
Chinese  found  out  what  was  going  on,  they  made  a par- 
ticularly spiteful  attack,  piercing  a wooden  door,  and 
wounding  a Chinese,  but  notwithstanding  their  utmost 
efforts  they  were  never  able  to  recover  any  part  of  this 
tract  and  hold  it  against  the  defence. 

Toward  evening  another  courier  arrived, — the  one  who 
took  the  messages  July  23rd,  conveying  information  of 
the  safety  of  the  Legation  and  the  besieged  up  to  that 
time.  The  greatest  excitement  prevailed,  both  before  the 
posting  of  the  news  (which  happened  almost  immedi- 
ately, as  the  letters  were  mostly  for  the  American  Minis- 
ter) and  afterwards.  The  cipher  dispatches  and  letters 
gave  the  dates  of  the  military  movements  for  the  relief 
of  Tientsin,  and  information  as  to  the  probable  order  of 
advance  by  columns  of  the  relieving  force,  which  did  not, 
however,  correspond  to  the  actual  movements  later  on. 
One  of  the  letters  contained  the  judicious  advice  to 
“Hold  on  by  all  means,”  and  another  said:  “Keep 

heart,  aid  coming  early.  Troops  pouring  in.” 

The  letter  of  Consul  Ragsdale  to  Mr.  Conger,  although 


4io 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


very  brief,  was  of  special  interest  to  Americans  for  the 
welcome  glimpse  into  the  doings  and  feelings  of  their 
distant  countrymen:  “July  28th.  Had  lost  all  hope  of 

seeing  you  again.  Prospect  now  brighter.  We  had  thirty 
days’  shelling  here,  nine  days  siege,  thought  that  bad 
enough.  Scarcely  a house  escaped  damage.  Excitement 
at  home  intense,  of  course.  Our  prayers  and  hope  are 
for  your  safety  and  speedy  rescue.  Advance  of  troops 
to-morrow  probable.  McKinley  and  Roosevelt  nomi- 
nated. Also  Bryan — Vice-President  unknown.” 

A letter  from  Lieut.  Col.  Mallory,  41st  U.  S.  Infantry, 
said:  “A  relief  column  of  10,000  is  on  the  point  of 

starting  for  Peking.  More  to  follow.  God  grant  they 
may  be  in  time.”  Under  date  of  August  30th,  Maj.  Gen. 
Chaffee  announced  that  he  had  just  arrived  at  Tientsin. 

Some  of  the  other  letters  mentioned  that  attacks  had 
been  made  by  Boxers  upon  Chinese  Christians  in  the  dis- 
tricts of  Tsun  Hua  Chou,  Shan  Hai  Kuan,  and  many 
other  places.  That  the  Russians  had  been  fighting  near 
Chin  Chou  in  Manchuria,  and  that  Newchwang  was 
much  disturbed,  as  all  Manchuria  seemed  to  be  rising 
against  foreigners,  and  the  hands  of  the  Russians  were 
likely  to  be  full  there.  The  Yangtze  valley  was  said  to 
be  also  very  unquiet,  although  the  two  Governors  Gen- 
eral, Liu  K’un  Yi,  at  Nanking,  and  Chang  Chih  Tung, 
at  Wu  Ch’ang,  were  doing  their  best  to  keep  order.  Li 
Hung  Chang  was  still  at  Shanghai,  and  his  coming  north 
to  Tientsin  considered  doubtful.  Tientsin  was  governed 
by  a joint  foreign  Commission.  Germany  and  the  United 
States  were  each  to  send  15,000  men,  and  Italy  5,000. 
Tientsin  was  full  of  soldiers,  with  more  constantly  arriv- 
ing. The  railway  was  running  between  Tientsin  and 
Tongku.  Many  ladies  and  children  had  been  sent  to  the 


THE  RENEWAL  OF  THE  ATTACK  41 1 


United  States  011  the  transport  “ Logan.”  All  property  at 
the  sea-side  resort  at  Pei  Tai  Ho  was  destroyed. 

For  some  time  it  has  been  known  that  there  was  a 
stock  of  Chinese  samshu,  or  strong  wine  somewhere,  but 
recently  it  was  traced  to  a shop  in  Legation  Street,  where 
they  deal  in  condiments,  sauce,  etc.  Mr.  Tewksbury 
went  there  with  some  men  on  behalf  of  the  General  Com- 
mittee, and  found  a sick  man  asleep  above  a large  wine- 
jar.  He  was  forced  to  remove,  and  the  fluid  was  all 
poured  into  the  street,  which  was  highly  perfumed,  to 
the  value  of  jnany  taels.  The  jar  had  been  sealed  up 
once  before,  but  the  thirsty  marines  had  broken  through 
the  seal. 

The  messenger  who  brought  the  welcome  news  of 
prospective  relief  says  that,  when  he  reached  T'ung 
Chou,  instead  of  taking  the  usual  route  he  went  east, 
spending  one  night  on  the  way  with  Chinese  soldiers. 
On  his  return  he  had  his  letters  sewed  into  his  hat.  He 
left  Tientsin  by  the  west  gate,  making  a wide  detour  so 
as  not  to  excite  suspicion,  yet  got  through  in  very  good 
time. 

Friday,  August  3. — The  Committee  on  Confiscated 
Goods  is  busy  this  morning  going  through  the  houses 
which  are  within  the  territory  captured  yesterday,  and  a 
great  deal  of  stuff  was  found  which  will  be  of  service. 
There  is  a fire  in  the  Imperial  City,  but  it  is  impossible 
to  determine  where  it  is.  The  following  has  just  been 
posted : 

Census  of  the  British  Legation,  August  1st. 


Soldiers,  British  and  others 73 

General  Hospital,  wounded 40 


412 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Legation  residents: 

Foreign  men 191 

Foreign  women 147 

Foreign  children 76 

414 

Legation  residents : 

Chinese  men  180 

Chinese  women 107 

Chinese  children  ...■ 69 

356 

Total 883 


This  afternoon  the  Yamen  sent  to  Sir  Claude,  an  un- 
dated cipher  telegram  from  Lord  Salisbury,  in  which  he 
complains  of  having  heard  nothing  since  July  4th.  The 
Ministers  are  trying  the  experiment  of  sending  cipher 
telegrams  through  the  Yamen.  The  latter  send  notice 
of  the  appointment  of  Jung  Lu  to  escort  the  Ministers  to 
Tientsin,  a piece  of  impudence  which  even  for  the 
Chinese  Government  is  nothing  less  than  colossal,  con- 
sidering that  he  has  spent  the  whole  summer  in  trying 
to  kill  everyone  in  the  Legations. 

In  reply  to  Sir  Claude’s  remonstrances  about  the  in- 
cessant firing  upon  us,  the  Yamen  blandly  remarks  that 
it  was  the  result  of  a misunderstanding,  and  that  it  is 
more  or  less  on  the  same  footing  as  the  morning  and 
evening  bells  of  the  temple  priests.  “ It  is  really  hardly 
worth  a smile.”  In  confirmation  of  the  morning-and- 
evening-bell  theory,  it  is  mentioned  that  the  wife  of  one 
of  the  Ministers  has  been  heard  to  say  that,  now  there 
is  so  little  firing  of  rifles  and  no  shelling,  she  cannot  sleep ! 

Over  at  the  Fu  some  Chinese  coolies  have  brought 


THE  RENEWAL  OF  THE  ATTACK  413 


rifles  and  ammunition  for  sale  at  one  of  the  out-posts. 
(This  circumstance  probably  gave  rise  to  the  widely  cir- 
culated story  that  during  the  siege  a part  of  the  ammuni- 
tion was  bought  from  the  attacking  Chinese  troops.  It 
was,  however,  stated  as  a fact  that  a Japanese  paid  one 
of  the  Chinese  Imperial  Guard  two  dollars  for  140  rounds 
of  ammunition,  and  that  within  a quarter  of  an  hour  the 
two  men  were  diligently  attacking  each  other!) 

Saturday,  Aug.  4. — There  was  much  less  firing  last 
night  than  before.  The  Nordenfelt  gun  was  put  up  on  a 
high  platform  at  the  angle  of  the  newly  annexed  territory 
behind  the  house  of  the  Chinese  Secretary,  and  has  a very 
dissuasive  appearance.  “ Oh,  he’s  little,  but  he’s  wise. 
He’s  a terror  for  his  size.” 

The  Ministers  had  a meeting  and  agreed  to  ask  the 
Yamen  to  send  mutton  and  other  supplies  for  the  ladies 
and  the  sick,  but  the  action  was  not  unanimous,  and  some 
of  the  besieged  protest  against  it  vigourously,  as  a dis- 
play of  uncalled  for  weakness.  A letter  was  received  from 
the  Yamen,  informing  the  Ministers  that  the  various 
Foreign  Offices  of  the  different  Nations  concerned  wish 
the  Foreign  Ministers  escorted  out  of  Peking,  and  de- 
siring a speedy  reply.  Two  Russians  who  were  at  work 
in  the  Russo-Chinese  Bank  incautiously  exposed  them- 
selves too  much,  and  were  wounded  this  afternoon,  ap- 
parently by  the  same  bullet.  One  of  them  died  during 
the  night. 

At  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Ministers  during  the 
afternoon,  the  draft  of  a letter  in  reply  to  the  Yamen  was 
agreed  upon,  to  be  sent  to-morrow.  The  general  pur- 
port is  that  the  Ministers  must  be  allowed  to  communicate 
with  their  Governments  direct,  and  that  they  can  not  re- 
ceive instructions  through  the  medium  of  the  Tsung  Li 


4H 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Yamen.  Foreign  Ministers  in  China  must  have  the  same 
rights  that  Chinese  Ministers  at  foreign  courts  at  pres- 
ent enjoy. 

With  this  letter  were  sent  cipher  telegrams  to  the  vari- 
ous governments  from  the  Ministers,  asking  for  instruc- 
tions as  to  leaving,  in  compliance  with  the  Yamen’s  de- 
mand. The  object  of  this  is  to  gain  time,  as  the  replies 
at  quickest  can  not  be  received  in  less  than  ten  days  or 
two  weeks,  since  the  telegrams  have  to  be  sent,  according 
to  the  Yamen’s  letter  of  to-day,  by  courier  to  Chi  Nan 
Fu,  the  capital  of  Shantung.  It  is  understood  that  at 
least  one  of  the  Ministers  incorporated  in  his  dispatch  a 
hint  of  the  object  of  raising  the  inquiry  at  all,  with  the 
suggestion  that  there  need  be  no  haste  as  to  a reply.  In 
the  interim  the  Yamen  was  told  that,  when  these  replies 
are  to  hand,  the  Ministers  will  be  in  a position  to  arrange 
the  matter  of  leaving  or  remaining — (a  prediction  and 
promise  which  was  more  than  fulfilled.) 

Yesterday  the  Ministers  had  for  the  first  time  tried  the 
experiment  of  all  sending  cipher  dispatches  to  their  re- 
spective governments,  to  be  forwarded  by  the  Yamen, 
and  it  is  understood  that  as  they  have  not  been  returned 
they  have  been  forwarded. 

There  is  a species  of  censorship  established  over  out- 
going telegrams,  to  the  deep  indignation  of  some  of  the 
correspondents  who  do  not  wish  their  opinions  revised  by 
a committee. 

At  the  Su  Wang  Fu  soldiers  without  arms  crowd  around 
our  sentries  in  a very  friendly  way,  as  the  Imperial  Edict 
arranging  for  the  departure  of  the  Ministers  is  well 
known  and  we  are  supposed  to  be  soon  leaving.  A soldier 
who  has  been  useful  in  getting  copies  of  the  “ Peking 
Gazettes  ” for  us,  took  occasion  to  observe : “ You  are 


THE  RENEWAL  OF  THE  ATTACK  415 


alive ; we  are  dead.  The  foreign  army  is  on  the  way,  and 
has  driven  back  Gen.  Sung  Ch’ing,  140  li  from  here.” 
Rumours  among  the  Chinese  say  that  among  the  for- 
eign troops  there  are  many  “ blacks,”  who  are  supposed 
to  be  from  India. 

Sunday,  August  5. — A report  has  got  around  that  the 
Chinese  are  intending,  if  the  Foreign  Ministers  do  not 
accede  to  the  proposition  to  go  at  once  to  Tientsin,  to 
attack  the  Legations  in  earnest.  After  nearly  three  weeks 
of  comparative  quiet,  with  steady  preparation  under  the 
invariable  persistence  of  Mr.  Gamewell,  there  are  many 
who  are  quite  of  the  mind  of  the  German  soldier  who 
exclaimed  on  hearing  the  rumour : “ Let  them  come 

on!  ” (Lassen  sie  kommen.) 

There  was  a hard  rain  last  night  for  two  hours  or 
more,  and  everything  is  fresh  to-day.  No  walls  have 
fallen  in  the  Mongol  Market  addition  to  our  territory,  as 
was  feared.  This  is  the  first  Sunday  when  no  work  has 
been  done  at  all.  Several  Chinese  children  died  yesterday 
and  to-day.  The  Roman  Catholics  are  very  short  of  food, 
— for  what  reason  is  not  quite  clear,  as  the  total  stock 
appears  to  be  good.  In  the  afternoon  there  were  letters 
from  the  Yamen  again,  one  of  which  conveyed  expres- 
sions of  sympathy  to  the  Italian  Legation  on  the  death 
of  King  Humbert  (of  which  they  had  not  previously 
heard.)  The  news  was  communicated  by  Lo  Feng  Lo, 
who  is  accredited  both  to  Great  Britain  and  to  Italy. 
Other  letters  to  other  Ministers  communicated  inquiries 
as  to  health,  etc. 

The  following  letter  was  sent  out  to-night  to  the  Allied 
forces,  and  it  was  through  the  use  of  this  information 
that  the  British  and  American  troops  entered  Peking  so 
early. 


416 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


COPY  OF  MESSAGE  SENT  TO  COMMANDER  ALLIED  FORCES: 

August  5,  1900. 

“ I enclose  map  showing  Manchu  City  south  wall,  with 
lines  in  rear,  including  Legations  now  occupied  by  us.  Our 
position  on  wall  is  strongly  held,  is  about  300  yards  long, 
and  equally  distant  from  the  two  city  gates,  and  is  indi- 
cated by  flags,  Russian  and  American  at  each  end.  The 
left  of  the  position  (American)  covers  the  water  gate, 
an  opening  under  the  wall,  about  forty  feet  wide  and 
twenty  feet  high,  and  through  which  any  number  of  men 
could  pass  without  difficulty ; arriving  within  our  lines, 
could  take  one  or  both  the  gates  by  assault,  following 
down  the  wall  and  in  the  rear  from  the  street.  500  men 
for  each  gate  would  be  a sufficient  force,  especially  if 
assisted  by  artillery  fire  from  outside.  The  wall  of  the 
Chinese  City  near  the  south  gate  is  in  bad  condition,  and 
far  easier  to  take  than  any  part  of  the  Manchu  city  wall, 
which  is  thicker  and  higher.  The  ground  from  Chinese 
City  south  gate  up  to  houses  in  that  city  is  open.  After 
shelling,  an  advance  up  the  main  street  towards  the  middle 
gate,  then  turning  to  the  right  in  the  direction  of  the 
water  gate,  ought  to  be  made  without  any  very  great  diffi- 
culty. I deem  this  the  safest  and  most  feasible  entrance 
into  Peking.  See  Slater’s  Code,  using  Ragsdale’s  code 
number.” 

(Signed)  Claude  MacDonald. 

Monday,  August  6. — Between  two  and  three  o’clock 
this  morning  there  was  a furious  rifle  attack,  such  as  we 
have  not  had  for  a long  time,  beginning  with  the  Mongol 
Market  region  and  apparently  going  all  around.  It  con- 
tinued for  perhaps  half  an  hour.  It  may  have  been  stirred 
up  by  the  steady  work  on  the  barricades  in  the  new  terri- 


BUDDHIST  TEMPLE  AND  MODERN  TRAM  CAR 


WATER  GATE,  PEKING,  THROUGH  WHICH  ALLIES 
ENTERED 


THE  RENEWAL  OF  THE  ATTACK  417 


tory,  which  are  being  strengthened  all  the  time.  A Chinese 
barricade  fell  down  at  the  French  Legation,  and  the 
Chinese  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  set  up  a great  yell- 
ing, beating  of  drums,  etc.,  to  distract  attention.  There 
was  much  alarm  at  some  of  the  houses  in  the  British 
Legation,  and  in  one  of  them  the  second  story  was  aban- 
doned for  the  night  as  unsafe. 

The  alley  through  which  the  egg-sellers  and  the  pur- 
veyors of  news  have  made  their  entrance  into  the  Japanese 
lines,  has  been  walled  up,  so  that  we  are  again  isolated 
from  the  world,  except  for  the  driblets  of  news — largely 
of  an  obituary  nature — filtering  through  the  Tsung  Li 
Yamen.  During  the  afternoon  another  communication 
arrived  from  that  august  body,  in  reply  to  those  sent  yes- 
terday referring  to  the  various  home  Governments  the 
question  of  return  to  Tientsin.  The  Yamen  has  forwarded 
the  dispatches,  thus  recognizing  the  right  of  the  Ministers 
to  ask  for  instructions.  They  also  explain  the  attack  of 
last  night  by  saying  that  some  foreigner  made  a great 
noise,  so  that  the  Chinese  soldiers  thought  they  were  being 
attacked,  and  replied  in  kind ! 

Tuesday,  August  7. — The  night  was  much  more  quiet 
than  the  previous  one,  though  there  were  some  shots. 
To-day  is  the  “ Japanese  Decoration  Day  ” (the  thirteenth 
day  of  the  Chinese  seventh  moon),  the  equivalent  of  our 
“ All  Souls  ” festival,  and  they  have  put  flowers  upon  the 
eight  graves  of  their  dead, — the  touch  of  nature  which 
makes  the  whole  world  kin. 

The  sand  bags  in  the  windows  of  the  hospital  are  all 
giving  way,  and  are  to  be  taken  down  and  used  to  fill 
up  the  unsightly  holes  in  the  tennis-court  where  earth 
has  been  removed.  Despite  the  general  quiet  there  is 
firing  near  the  Mongol  Market,  and  a Japanese  was 
brought  in  from  the  Fu  wounded  in  the  leg.  A telegram 


418 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


was  received  to-day  from  the  Yamen  with  condolence  for 
the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  of  which  there  was 
no  previous  information. 

To-day  after  elaborate  preparation  and  many  emenda- 
tions, the  Register  of  the  Siege  in  Peking  is  published, 
and  put  upon  the  bulletin  board.  It  was  originally  headed 
“ Commander  in  Chief,  Sir  Claude  MacDonald,”  which  is 
understood  to  have  been  in  accordance  with  a vote  of 
the  Ministers,  asking  the  British  Minister,  in  view  of 
his  twenty-four  years  of  service  in  the  British  Army,  to 
take  the  command,  which  no  one  else  was  willing  to  do. 
This  was  the  more  appropriate,  as  it  was  agreed  that  in 
the  last  extremity  the  British  Legation  was  to  be  the  place 
for  a final  stand.  Now  that  the  siege  seemed  nearly  over 
and  the  unremitting  exertions  of  Sir  Claude  for  the  gen- 
eral welfare  were  about  to  end,  it  appeared  somewhat  un- 
gracious to  assort,  as  some  of  the  Continentals  seemed 
disposed  to  do,  that  he  was  not  their  “ Commander  in 
Chief.”  Some  final  appeal  in  a military  way  there  must 
of  necessity  be,  and  aside  from  the  previous  agreement  of 
the  Ministers  made  in  the  presence  of  a deadly  peril,  no 
more  competent  or  more  suitable  candidate  than  Sir  Claude 
was  either  available  or  requisite. 

In  the  evening  Mr.  Squiers  prepared  a long  message  to 
be  sent  out  to  the  troops,  recommending  the  Southern  City 
as  the  best  point  of  attack,  as  being  less  defended,  more 
easily  entered,  affording  a shorter  distance,  largely  through 
open  spaces  where  there  can  be  no  loop-holing  buildings, 
and  having  the  water-gate  accessible.  Other  letters  of 
this  kind  have  been  sent  also  to  the  British  detachment. 


XXIII 


THE  RELIEF 

WEDNESDAY,  August  8. — During  the  night 
there  was  considerable  firing  in  the  region  of 
the  Mongol  Market,  a few  Chinese  creeping 
through  the  ruins  and  throwing  bricks  at  the  guard  on 
the  high  platform  where  the  Nordenfelt  gun  is  placed. 
It  was  this  that  gave  rise  to  the  story  that  this  post  was 
“ attacked.”  It  is  impossible  for  all  to  look  at  the  matter 
in  the  same  light,  and  there  are  some  who  are  fully  per- 
suaded that  this  addition  to  our  territory,  instead  of  being 
(as  it  really  is)  a source  of  additional  security,  is  rather 
the  reverse. 

There  was  an  auction  yesterday  of  much  confiscated 
property,  clothing,  furniture,  etc.,  bringing  several  hun- 
dred dollars  to  a relief  fund  for  the  Christians.  A French 
marine  accidentally  shot  another  this  morning  through  the 
lungs,  the  man  dying  not  long  after.  Nothing  but  the 
grossest  and  most  inexcusable  carelessness  could  have 
occasioned  such  a calamity.  Work  was  begun  outside 
the  main  gate  of  the  British  Legation  on  a trench  leading 
to  the  canal,  where  a platform  is  to  be  put  up  for  the 
Austrian  gun  to  command  the  bed  of  the  canal,  down 
which  it  would  at  any  time  have  been  possible  for  a bold 
and  determined  enemy  to  have  made  an  effective  rush 
in  the  night.  On  the  west  side  of  the  Hanlin  compound 
a countermine  is  being  made  for  the  Chinese  mine,  which 
has  not,  however,  been  discovered. 

419 


420 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


A meeting  of  the  Ministers  was  held  to-day,  and  strict 
economy  was  enjoined  in  the  use  of  food.  It  was  agreed 
to  say  to  the  Yamen  that  in  view  of  the  kindly  feeling 
manifested  by  them  in  the  communication  of  tidings  of 
the  death  of  kings  and  princes,  it  would  be  greatly  ap- 
preciated if  like  kindness  should  be  shown  to  the  women 
and  children  here,  in  arranging  for  the  furnishing  of  eggs 
and  vegetables.  They  were  also  to  be  asked  to  take  over 
more  than  an  hundred  neutrals  who  are  still  within  our 
lines. 

In  the  afternoon  a circular  dispatch  came  from  the 
Yamen  to  announce  that  yesterday  Li  Hung  Chang  had 
been  appointed  a High  Commissioner  to  arrange  terms 
of  peace  between  China  and  the  Powers,  with  the  Gov- 
ernments of  which  he  is  to  correspond  telegraphically. 

One  of  Col.  Shiba’s  informants  says  that  there  are  at 
present  only  about  2,500  Chinese  troops  in  Peking — the 
rest  having  gone  to  confront  the  foreign  army.  He  also 
reports  that  another  body  of  50,000  foreign  soldiers  has 
been  landed  at  Taku.  It  is  thought  that  the  appointment 
of  Li  as  Peace  Commissioner  may  mean  that  there  has 
been  a decisive  victory  at  Yang  Ts’un,  but  one  of  the 
Ministers  would  not  be  surprised  if  the  expedition  had 
not  yet  started,  owing  to  difficulties  of  transportation,  etc. 

Sir  Claude  replied  to  the  letter  conveying  sympathy 
for  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  remarking  that 
notwithstanding  these  agreeable  amenities  it  still  remained 
true  that  he  could  not  put  his  head  out  of  his  own  Lega- 
tion without  the  danger  of  being  shot ! This  is  the  fiftieth 
day  of  the  siege. 

Thursday,  August  9. — During  the  night  there  was  a 
great  deal  of  firing  from  the  north  bridge,  not  only  down 
the  canal  but  on  the  British  Legation.  It  is  rumoured 
that  there  has  been  a general  change  of  the  Chinese 


THE  RELIEF 


421 


soldiers  attacking  us,  the  Manchus  taking  the  place  of 
the  Chinese,  who  have  been  sent  out  to  meet  the  troops 
of  the  enemy.  Bullets  rattled  through  the  Legation 
grounds,  and  during  the  night  a groan  was  heard,  but 
no  out-cry.  In  the  morning  it  was  found  that  a Chinese 
Roman  Catholic  “ Brother,”  whose  head  was  turned  to 
the  north  and  who  was  asleep  on  the  outer  pavilion,  had 
been  wounded  in  the  chest  by  a glancing  bullet  which 
perforated  his  clothing  and  made  a flesh  wound  near  the 
ensiform  cartilage.  The  man  was  perhaps  stunned,  for 
he  did  not  even  wake  up,  and  when  he  did  it  was  to  find 
himself  bloody. 

Specimens  of  the  “ food  ” eaten  in  the  Fu  have  been 
brought  over  on  a tray,  consisting  of  a mixture  of  chaff, 
sorghum  seeds,  wheat,  and  the  leaves  of  plants  and  trees, 
made  into  flat  cakes.  A request  has  been  sent  that  those 
who  can  do  so  will  go  out  and  shoot  dogs  and  cats  for 
the  Chinese,  to  serve  as  food.  There  has  been  a recount 
of  the  Catholics  in  the  Fu.  The  census  is  755  women 
and  546  children,  a total  of  1,301.  The  men,  who  were 
absent,  number  412,  making  a grand  total  of  1,713. 

Friday,  August  10. — About  three  o’clock  this  morning 
there  was  a sudden  and  very  violent  attack  begun  in  the 
Mongol  Market,  running  all  around  the  circle.  It  lasted 
only  about  fifteen  minutes,  but  during  that  time  it  was  as 
vicious  as  anything  we  have  had.  At  the  signal  of  a 
rocket  the  firing  suddenly  ceased.  Before  it  began,  there 
had  been  a Boxer  killed  and  another  wounded  west  of 
the  Market.  There  was  also  much  shooting  down  the 
canal. 

In  the  morning  an  aged  Catholic  priest  slowly  walked 
the  entire  distance  from  the  Legation  Street  bridge  to  the 
entrance  of  the  Fu,  against  many  remonstrances,  attract- 
ing at  once  the  fire  from  the  north  bridge.  There  were 


422 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


twenty-six  shots  directed  at  him,  but  not  one  struck  him. 
Yesterday  some  one  counted  thirty  shots  fired  at  a little 
girl,  and  an  old  woman  gathering  greens  became  a speedy 
target.  Some  Chinese  do  not  seem  in  the  least  con- 
cerned when  fired  at,  while  others  are  terribly  alarmed. 
One  of  the  Chinese  was  cautioned  not  to  go  into  danger, 
but  would  not  heed,  when  a bullet  pierced  his  clothing 
over  the  abdomen.  From  that  time  he  became  more  pru- 
dent, but  his  caution  assumed  the  form  of  a thick  wad 
of  cloth  over  the  place  where  he  had  been  hit,  assuming 
that  the  next  bullet  would  strike  in  precisely  the  same 
spot ! 

One  of  the  diplomatic  military  authorities  says  that  there 
were  shots  enough  fired  into  the  British  Legation  last 
night  to  have  killed,  if  properly  directed,  every  person 
in  it.  The  intention  certainly  was  not  lacking,  but  the 
execution  was  imperfect.  The  trouble  began  in  a corner 
of  the  Mongol  Market  where  a bag  of  powder  was  found 
yesterday. 

Designs  are  invited  for  a Siege  medal  to  be  struck  in 
commemoration  of  the  experience.  One  of  the  mottoes 
suggested  has  been  the  words  “ Mene,  mene,  tekel,  up- 
harsin,”  but  one  of  the  besieged  was  heard  to  object  to 
this  on  the  plausible  ground  that  “ not  everybody  knows 
Latin.”  The  total  of  several  auction  sales  thus  far  comes 
to  $68 1. 

About  three  in  the  afternoon  there  were  rumours  of  the 
arrival  of  a messenger  from  the  troops  en  route  to  Peking. 
There  was  a letter  from  the  Japanese  Lieut.  General 
Fukushima,  dated  near  Ts’ai  Ts’un  on  the  8th.  The 
Japanese  and  the  American  troops  had  defeated  the  enemy 
near  Pei  Ts’ang  on  the  5th,  and  occupied  Yang  Ts’un 
on  the  6th.  “ The  Allied  forces,  consisting  of  Americans, 


THE  RELIEF 


423 


British',  and  Russians,  left  Yang  Ts’un  this  morning,  and 
while  marching  north  the  General  received  the  letter  of 
Col.  Shiba.  It  is  very  gratifying  to  learn  from  your  letter 
that  the  foreign  community  are  holding  on,  and  it  is  the 
earnest  wish  and  unanimous  desire  of  the  Lieut.  General 
and  all  of  us  to  arrive  in  Peking  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
deliver  you  from  your  perilous  position.  Unless  some  un- 
foreseen event  takes  place,  the  Allied  forces  will  be  at 
Ho  Hsi  Wu  on  the  gth,  at  Ma  T’ou  on  the  10th,  Chang 
Chia  Wan  on  the  nth,  T'ung  Chou  on  the  12th,  and 
probably  arrive  at  Peking  on  the  13th  or  14th.'’  A letter 
of  a similar  tenor  was  also  received  from  Gen.  Gaselee. 

The  messenger  got  among  Chinese  soldiers,  who  de- 
tained but  did  not  search  him,  and  coming  back  he  was 
forced  to  help  track  a boat.  Still  he  made  a relatively 
quick  trip,  leaving  Tientsin  Sunday  night,  reaching  the 
foreign  troops  Wednesday  morning,  and  arriving  at 
Peking  Friday  afternoon.  He  came  in  through  two  half- 
manned  barricades  disguised  as  a coolie  searching  among 
the  ruins  of  buildings. 

Many  telegrams  were  received  making  inquiries,  and 
others  with  news.  Mr.  Conger  received  one  from  Wash- 
ington asking  information  about  his  telegram  of  July  18th, 
and  giving  him  a name  to  insert  in  his  reply  to  establish 
authenticity.  This  seems  to  be  an  indication  that  the 
Yamen  is  suspected  of  having  sent  bogus  messages. 

There  is  still  no  answer  from  the  Yamen  in  regard  to 
food,  except  a strange  verbal  message  purporting  to  come 
from  Jung  Lu  to  the  Chairman  of  the  General  Committee 
asking  him  to  make  out  a list  of  what  he  wanted,  which 
Jung  Lu  would  furnish,  and  for  which  Mr.  Tewksbury 
could  pay  him  later ! The  messenger  brings  a rumour 
that  Li  Ping  Heng  was  wounded  in  the  shoulder  at  Yang 


424 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Ts'un.  One  of  the  Ministers  thinks  it  a pity  that  it  had 
not  been  a little  lower  ( but  the  wound  eventually  proved 
fatal.) 

There  was  an  attack  on  the  German  Legation  last  night, 
as  well  as  on  the  British,  and  this  morning  a message 
came  from  the  Yamen  apologizing  for  it,  and  saying  that 
they  had  beheaded  the  man  who  made  it ! 

A cow  was  killed  the  other  day,  to  the  great  joy  of 
everyone  who  could  get  some  of  it.  One  of  the  legation 
ladies  sent  for  the  cow’s  liver,  only  to  find  that  it  had 
been  calmly  appropriated  by  the  marines.  An  attache  of 
the  British  Legation  sent  up  for  a part  of  the  cow’s 
kidney  as  a great  luxury,  but  it  had  been  already  dis- 
tributed. The  sympathetic  superintendent  of  the  meat  ap- 
portionment, however,  not  wishing  to  disappoint  him,  sent 
the  man  the  kidney  of  a horse,  “ without  note  or  com- 
ment ; ” afterwards  meeting  him,  he  inquired  how  he 
liked  it.  He  had  enjoyed  it  greatly,  and  remarked  that 
while  eating  it  he  had  forgotten  that  he  was  in  China ! 

In  the  afternoon  Lt.  von  Strauss  made  a sortie  on  a 
Chinese  barricade  in  the  Mongol  Market  addition,  which 
provoked  a great  deal  of  retaliatory  firing.  Showers  of 
bricks  came  over ; one  of  the  British  marines  had  his 
head  cut  open,  and  two  Chinese  were  badly  stunned.  The 
bricks  are  much  more  dangerous  than  the  bullets.  Fortu- 
nately the  worst  brick  attack  came  while  the  Chinese  work- 
men were  at  their  afternoon  meal,  so  that  the  most  of 
them  could  stand  quietly  under  shelter  and  watch  the 
bricks  curve  through  the  air  to  their  harmless  destination. 

In  the  evening  a hard  rain  came  on,  and  with  it  an 
attack,  the  firing  being  especially  furious  at  each  loud 
clap  of  thunder.  It  really  appears  as  if  it  were  considered 
as  a signal  from  the  gods  for  the  encouragement  of  the 
Chinese. 


THE  RELIEF 


425 


Saturday,  August  11. — Two  ponies  were  condemned 
this  morning  on  the  ground  that  they  were  affected  by 
phthisis,  but  they  were  absorbed  by  the  less  fastidious 
Chinese,  and  another  horse  and  a mule  were  substituted. 
Dogs,  cats,  magpies,  crows,  and  sparrows  have  all  been 
shot  for  the  Catholics,  who  got  the  condemned  animals. 
It  is  proposed  to  give  the  grain  directly  to  each  family, 
instead  of  having  it  cooked  in  a common  kettle  and  di- 
vided. 

There  is  some  indication  of  special  activity  on  the  wall 
of  the  city,  where  the  Chinese  flags  have  been  removed, 
but  the  number  of  soldiers  seems  increased.  They  have 
begun  firing  on  the  American  Legation  again,  and  a ball 
went  through  the  door  of  Mr.  Squier's  office  and  pene- 
trated the  outer  door  of  the  (so-called)  iron  “safe!” 
Bullets  struck  some  of  the  other  buildings,  and  one  came 
into  the  Minister's  bed-room.  After  several  weeks  of 
comparative  immunity  from  this  kind  of  attack  by  day, 
its  sudden  resumption  by  the  enemy  is  peculiarly  exas- 
perating. 

Sunday,  August  12. — There  was  intermittent  heavy 
firing  during  the  night  at  no  very  long  intervals,  making 
it  difficult  to  sleep.  There  were  rumours  of  sharp  attacks 
in  various  directions.  An  Austrian  and  a German  were 
wounded,  and  a Frenchman  killed.  A Russian  on  duty 
on  the  wall  was  slightly  wounded.  Another  Russian  died 
in  the  hospital  yesterday,  and  also  a French  marine.  Over 
at  the  Fu  there  was  a great  deal  of  yelling  during  the 
night.  Col.  Shiba  had  kerosene  tins  beaten,  and  the 
Italian  soldiers  shouted,  whistled,  and  cried  “ Bravo  ” to 
one  another,  to  give  the  Chinese  the  impression  of  un- 
limited numbers. 

It  was  understood  yesterday  that  a deputy  official  was 
to  come  to-day  to  open  a market,  but  no  one  appeared. 


426  CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 

A man  who  sells  eggs  to  the  French  Legation  soldiers  has 
told  them  that  there  was  a battle  at  Chang  Chia  Wan  yes- 
terday, and  3,000  Chinese  were  killed.  There  are  some 
appearances  of  a panic  in  the  city.  Jung  Lu  is  said  to 
have  taken  poison.  It  was  very  hot  all  day,  and  it  was 
often  remarked  how  trying  this  must  be  for  the  marching 
troops. 

In  the  afternoon  there  was  a sudden  and  savage  attack 
on  the  Mongol  Market  defences,  to  which  the  Nordenfelt 
gun  replied.  The  bullets  fell  thick,  and  very  low.  There 
was  a melancholy  funeral  of  two  Frenchmen  to-day,  just 
on  the  eve  of  what  we  hope  is  to  be  the  raising  of  the 
siege. 

The  ladies  of  the  United  States  Legation  were  busy  to- 
day making  sand  bags  for  the  German  Legation  defences. 
The  Austrian  gun  was  taken  to  the  stable-yard.  A letter 
was  received  from  the  Yamen  saying  that  the  Princes 
and  Ministers  would  come  to  the  British  Legation  to- 
morrow to  confer  with  regard  to  the  cessation  of  hostili- 
ties. The  French  Captain  La  Bruce  was  killed  early  in 
the  evening  in  his  own  Legation,  while  walking  to  a barri- 
cade. It  might  have  been  well  to  have  replied  that  this 
Legation  is  at  present  a very  unsafe  place  for  “ Princes 
and  Ministers.”  Sir  Claude  planned  to  receive  them  in 
his  own  house.  The  Spanish  Legation  would  have  seemed 
a far  more  suitable  place,  but  at  last  a mat-shed  was  put 
up  outside  the  front  gate.  The  Chinese  do  not  believe 
in  receiving  them  at  all. 

It  is  reported  that  a Chinese  gun  at  the  Ha  Ta  gate 
has  been  firing  blank  cartridges,  so  that  the  Germans  did 
not  think  it  worth  while  to  reply  with  rifles.  At  a loop- 
hole in  the  Mongol  Market  region,  two  nights  ago,  a 
bullet  cut  clean  through  the  small  board  over  the  open- 
ing, so  that  the  bricks  dropped  down  without  having  been 


THE  RELIEF 


427 


hit.  It  is  becoming  a favourite  plan  with  the  Chinese  now 
to  keep  on  firing  away  at  a loophole  and  its  neighbour- 
hood, until  the  wall  gives  way.  Sometimes  they  get  the 
range,  strap  the  gun  tight,  and  keep  blazing  away  at  one 
spot.  Our  Nordenfelt  yesterday  knocked  down  a sec- 
tion of  the  Chinese  barricade  in  this  manner,  but  the 
hole  was  promptly  filled  up  with  sand  bags. 

Monday,  August  13. — The  attack  which  was  expected 
came  off,  and  was  practically  continuous  all  night,  and 
very  violent.  The  Chinese  soldiers  and  their  rifles  seem 
to  be  different  from  those  before  used,  and  the  bullets 
(Mannlicher)  have  much  more  penetrating  power.  Many 
barricades  were  much  weakened  and  must  be  repaired. 
It  is  marvellous  that  no  one  in  the  British  Legation  was 
hit  during  the  night.  The  firing  was  more  consecutive 
than  at  any  time  since  the  siege  began,  and  strangely  in- 
congruous with  proposals  for  peace, — another  of  the  many 
glaring  absurdities  of  our  situation.  The  impression  given 
by  these  repeated  and  furious  onsets  is  that,  the  time 
being  short,  they  must  annihilate  us  immediately.  The 
shooting  was  much  lower  than  hitherto. 

There  was  a meeting  of  the  Ministers  in  the  forenoon 
to  consider  the  place  of  receiving  the  Yamen  Ministers. 
It  is  difficult  for  the  Ministers  to  refuse  an  interview  with 
the  Yamen,  because  it  was  on  the  ground  of  being  use- 
ful in  helping  on  such  negotiations  that  they  declined  to 
go  to  Tientsin. 

At  half  past  ten  o’clock,  however,  came  a letter  from 
the  Yamen  to  say  that  the  Ministers  have  reopened  hos- 
tilities ( !),  by  killing  an  officer  and  26  men  in  the  region 
of  the  Board  of  Works  (just  west  of  the  British  Lega- 
tion), and  as  “the  Yamen  Ministers  are  busy,”  they  can 
not  come  as  agreed ! There  was  no  reply  as  to  the  pur- 
chase of  food,  and  not  an  atom  of  news  from  outside. 


428 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Both  the  German  and  the  American  Legations  were  at- 
tacked last  night,  the  former  at  very  short  range.  Notice 
is  posted  that  arrangements  have  been  made  to  take  photo- 
graphs of  the  siege  positions,  etc.,  with  a camera  which 
belongs  to  a Japanese,  and  there  are  fortunately  enough 
photographic  chemicals  available  for  the  purpose. 

Some  Chinese  cavalry  leaving  the  city  yesterday  by  the 
Ch'ien  Men  were  fired  at  several  times  from  the  wall,  but 
this  is  not  the  alleged  resumption  of  hostilities,  but  the 
fact  that  men  were  killed  on  the  west  of  us.  The  Chinese 
officer  who  was  shot  is  said  to  be  a Captain  who  had 
guaranteed  to  take  the  Legation  within  five  days,  which 
time  was  up  yesterday.  This,  however,  is  not  authenti- 
cated. The  American  and  Russian  flags  have  been  put 
up  on  the  wall  to-day,  and  a staff  prepared  for  the  British 
flag. 

About  eight  o’clock  in  the  evening  there  was,  as  ex- 
pected, a furious  attack  in  the  Mongol  Market  region, 
which  was  kept  up  for  a long  time  and  only  died  down 
to  be  again  resumed.  An  hour  or  so  later  there  was  a 
second,  likewise  very  furious  and  vindictive. 

Tuesday,  August  14. — The  distinction  between  to-day 
and  yesterday  was  entirely  obliterated,  as  no  one  could 
sleep,  and  very  few  made  any  pretence  of  even  going  to 
bed.  The  battery  on  the  wall  of  the  Imperial  City  began 
firing  Krupp  shells  during  the  night,  about  ten  shots  in 
all.  One  of  these  fell  in  a dressing-room  off  Sir  Claude’s 
bed-room,  and  made  a complete  wreck  of  it.  Three  others 
struck  in  the  front  gate  fort,  one  of  them  coming  through 
the  gate-way  and  knocking  over  by  its  concussion  those 
who  were  at  hand. 

Between  eleven  and  twelve  o’clock  there  was  an  alarm 
on  the  bell  of  a “ general  attack,”  and  every  one  turned 
out — the  first  experience  of  the  kind  for  nearly  six  weeks. 


THE  RELIEF 


429 


Sir  Claude  was  on  hand  and,  after  waiting  to  see  how 
man)'  appeared,  dismissed  them  after  a brief  delay  as  if 
it  were  a mere  drill. 

Three  hours  later  there  was  a second  alarm,  which  was 
caused  by  the  fear  that  the  Chinese  were  about  to  make  a 
rush  into  the  Mongol  Market  defences.  Volunteers  were 
assigned  their  positions,  and  the  attack  was  as  savage  as 
those  which  had  preceded,  and  as  unsuccessful.  It  was 
alleged  by  some  of  the  Volunteers  that  the  Chinese  officers 
were  heard  urging  the  men  to  make  the  long-expected 
rush,  crying  “ Don’t  be  afraid — we  can  get  through,”  to 
which  after  a short  interval  there  was  the  response,  “ It 
can  not  be  done.” 

In  preparation  for  this  attack  all  the  big  guns  had 
been  made  ready,  the  American  Colt’s  Automatic  in  the 
main  gate,  as  usual,  the  Nordenfelt  on  its  high  platform 
back  of  the  house  of  the  Chinese  Secretary,  the  Austrian 
and  the  “ International  ” in  the  Mongol  Market  addition. 
In  firing  the  latter,  owing  to  its  recoil  and  uncertainty, 
it  was  necessary  to  have  a large  porthole,  and  Mitchell, 
the  American  gunner,  had  his  arm  shattered  by  a rifle- 
ball  while  discharging  the  piece.  When  the  shell-gun 
opened  fire  on  us,  the  Colt’s  replied,  and  the  gun  was 
eventually  silenced,  or  at  least  suspended  operation. 

All  through  the  night  at  irregular  intervals  could  be 
heard  the  deep  baying  of  the  Nordenfelt,  the  irresistible 
and  simultaneous  discharges  of  which  must  have  been 
very  depressing  as  well  as  exasperating  to  those  within 
its  range.  The  attack  at  the  Fu  was  fierce  as  elsewhere, 
but  it  did  not  drive  the  Japanese  from  their  position,  for 
the  Chinese  did  not  charge.  The  same  was  the  case  in 
the  Hanlin,  and  likewise  in  the  French  Legation,  be- 
tween 1 and  2 a.  m. 

A French  priest  and  the  Belgian  doctor  were  slightly 


43° 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


wounded  during  the  night,  at  the  British  Legation — 
among  the  very  few  casualties  to  civilians  within  that 
area  during  the  whole  siege.  The  Japanese  doctor  at  the 
Su  Wang  Fu  had  a ball  through  his  leg,  a British  marine 
was  wounded  in  the  shoulder,  and  a German  who  had 
been  wounded  previously  and  had  recovered,  was  killed, 
also  a Russian  on  the  wall.  It  was  understood  that  yes- 
terday the  Yamen  had  notified  the  Ministers  that  what- 
ever Chinese  officer  reopened  hostilities  should  be  court- 
martialed.  The  proceedings  of  this  fearsome  night  were 
a singular  commentary  upon  this  imaginary  truce. 

Between  2 and  3 a.  m.  there  was  distinctly  heard 
the  sharp  rat-tat-tat  of  a machine  gun  far  to  the  east,  and 
it  was  at  once  concluded  that  the  foreign  troops  are  at 
hand.  The  yard,  even  at  that  early  hour,  swarmed  with 
eager  groups  discussing  the  probabilities.  The  question 
was  raised  whether  the  machine-guns  which  we  heard 
might  not  be  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese  themselves,  and 
it  was  remembered  that  Li  Hung  Chang  had  ordered  a 
large  number  of  them  many  years  ago.  (It  was  not  then 
suspected,  what  was  afterwards  said  to  have  been  a fact, 
that  these  particular  guns  had  been  captured  from  the 
Chinese,  and  were  probably  a part  of  the  very  equipment 
referred  to.) 

Many  excellent  designs  have  been  sent  in  for  the  pro- 
posed commemorative  medal,  and  to-day  they  are  repre- 
sented by  drawings  placed  on  the  bulletin  board,  and 
votes  are  solicited  as  to  the  material,  the  pattern,  the  in- 
scription obverse  and  reverse.  A limit  of  time  is  also 
fixed.  Unfortunately  for  the  best  effect,  the  all  absorb- 
ing interest  in  the  impending  relief  deprives  the  mere 
pictorial  symbol  of  much  of  its  interest,  so  that  the  voting 
halted,  and  was  soon  altogether  abandoned. 

In  spite  of  the  heavy  firing  none  of  our  barricades  were 


THE  RELIEF 


431 


overthrown,  and  the  strength  of  those  most  threatened 
in  the  Mongol  Market  tract  had  been  almost  doubled 
within  twenty-four  hours.  During  the  forenoon  it  was 
learned  that  the  shell-gun  on  the  Imperial  city,  which 
fired  so  much  last  night,  had  been  taken  away,  which 
indicates  activity  of  some  sort.  Our  Austrian  Maxim 
has  been  removed  to  the  north  stable  court  to  be  ready 
for  it,  however,  should  it  begin  again. 

There  has  been  a sound  of  heavy  cannonading  to  the 
eastward  all  the  morning.  From  the  wall  the  Southern 
City  seems  to  be  quiet,  but  Chinese  troops  are  hurrying  in 
through  the  Ch’ien  Men,  instead  of  going  out,  as  yester- 
day. The  bulletin-board  has  a notice  that  “ the  sentries 
in  charge  of  the  south  gates  have  received  orders  not  to 
allow  any  civilian  to  leave  the  Legation  without  a special 
permit  from  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  defences,  since  in 
case  of  a general  attack  by  retreating  Chinese  the  services 
of  every  available  volunteer  will  be  required.” 

Another  order  announces  that  “ women  and  children 
and  persons  not  on  duty  are  requested  as  far  as  possible 
to  keep  within  doors  to-day,  as  there  will  probably  be 
considerable  danger  from  dropping  fire.” 

From  the  city  wall  an  excellent  view  is  to  be  had  of 
the  bombardment  of  the  Ch'i  Hua  gate,  upon  which  thus 
far  not  much  impression  seems  to  have  been  made.  There 
is  also  a heavy  attack  at  the  Tung  Pien  Gate,  and  all  the 
time  the  deep  rumbling  of  the  heavy  booming  guns  of 
“ our  troops.”  “ Blessed  are  the  people  that  hear  the 
joyful  sound.”  The  troops  on  the  wall  thought  those 
outside  would  “ be  lucky  if  they  got  in  to-morrow  night.” 
Soon  after  two  o’clock,  Mr.  Moore,  who  was  on  the 
wall,  reported  to  Capt.  Hall  that  he  saw  foreign  troops 
in  the  distance ; though  this  was  doubted,  it  soon  proved 
to  be  the  case,  and  he  was  sent  post-haste  to  convey  the 


432 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


news  to  Sir  Claude  MacDonald.  It  was  at  first  errone- 
ously supposed  to  be  the  Germans  who  had  been  sighted, 
but  they  soon  showed  up  as  British. 

The  excitement  was  now  at  its  height,  and  the  few  who 
had  leave  to  do  so,  not  being  on  duty,  hastened  out 
through  the  Russian  Legation  to  the  street,  only  to  be 
told  that  the  troops  were  already  making  their  way  into 
the  Tartar  city  through  the  water-gate.  There  was  at  the 
time  very  little  water,  but  the  mud  rendered  the  entrance 
through  the  narrow  passage  somewhat  disagreeable,  yet 
it  was  only  for  a few  rods  and  unworthy  of  mention  as 
a difficulty  in  a march. 

The  regiment  which  made  the  first  entry,  was  the  ist 
Sikhs  and  then  the  7th  Bengal  Rajput  Infantry,  and  Gen. 
Gaselee  was  one  of  the  first  officers  to  be  seen.  The 
banks  of  the  canal  were  lined  by  Chinese,  and  the  few 
Europeans  present,  among  whom  was  Sir  Claude,  tried 
to  raise  a cheer,  but  their  voices  were  unequal  to  the 
task  and  it  was  a feeble  failure ! 

On  reaching  the  British  Legation  there  was  such  a 
riot  of  joy  as  is  seldom  seen  in  Asia,  and  such  as  was 
never  seen  in  the  Capital  of  the  Chinese  Empire.  Every- 
body swarmed  out  to  see  the  glorious  spectacle.  The 
Rajputs  cheered  as  they  marched,  till  they  brought  up  on 
the  tennis-court,  beyond  which  there  seemed  to  be  no- 
where to  go.  The  next  regiment  was  the  24th  Punjab 
Infantry  (Frontier  Force),  who  went  cheering  past  the 
hospital  filled  with  brave  but  disappointed,  yet  happy,  men 
who  had  lived  through  it  after  all,  and  now  saw  the  day 
of  rescue. 

It  was  remembered  that  the  ist  Sikhs  regiment  is  des- 
cended from  the  one  which  helped  take  Peking  forty  years 
ago.  The  ist  Bengal  Lancers  came  next,  having  had  to 


“ HERE  THEY  COME,”  GENERAL  GASELEE  ON  THE  RIGHT 


FRATERNIZING  ON  THE  TENNIS  COURT 


THE  RELIEF 


433 


wait  for  the  Ch'ien  Men  to  be  forced ; then  a detachment 
of  the  Royal  Welsh  Fusileers,  the  23rd  Field  Battery,  the 
Hongkong  Regiment,  and  the  Royal  Marines. 

By  this  time  the  limited  available  spaces  of  the  tennis- 
court  and  the  Legation  roads  and  paths  was  more  than 
exhausted,  and  the  whole  place  was  one  complicated  tangle 
of  Sikhs,  Rajputs,  Lancers  and  Fusileers,  with  Chinese 
and  the  besieged  Occidentals  everywhere  at  once. 

In  the  midst  of  this  wild  welter  the  American  14th  In- 
fantry arrived,  to  add  to  the  joy  and  the  chaos,  and 
everyone  is  asking  to  know  where  some  one  else  is,  and 
what  is  going  on  in  that  segment  of  creation  outside  of 
the  Peking  Legations. 

The  troops  were  no  sooner  in  the  courts  than  Gen. 
Gaselee  relieved  the  sentinels  on  duty  with  his  own  men. 
One  of  them  (a  Sikh),  was  assigned  to  the  front  gate 
fort  where  the  Colt’s  Automatic  was  pouring  out  its  reck- 
less welcome  in  a thunder  of  rat-tats.  There  he  was  imme- 
diately hit  by  a bullet  through  a loophole  and  went 
promptly  to  the  hospital.  The  tumultuous  cheering  of 
both  the  besieged  and  the  relievers  roused  the  Chinese 
from  their  afternoon  nap,  and  they  began  the  fusillade 
with  renewed  vigour,  but  apparently  without  any  notion 
of  what  the  altered  conditions  denoted.  For  a time  the 
bullets  were  falling  thickly  all  over  the  Legation,  and  the 
wife  of  a Belgian  engineer  was  wounded  in  the  leg, — 
the  only  case  in  which  a lady  received  any  injury  from 
shot  or  shell  during  the  whole  siege. 

In  a very  short  time  a large  hole  was  blown  into  the 
Carriage  Park  through  the  thick  wall  to  which  we  had 
owed  so  much,  and  in  a brief  time  that  expansive  en- 
closure was  filled  with  the  jaded  horses  of  the  Lancers. 
The  Chinese  shots  grew  less  in  vigour,  fewer  in  number, 


434 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


more  distant  in  space,  and  died  away  to  nothing.  The 
men  who  had  so  long  manned  the  barricades  facing  us 
“ folded  their  tents  like  the  Arabs,  and  silently  stole 
away  ” (except  that  so  far  as  they  had  any  tents  they  left 
them  in  situ),  and  were  to  be  seen  and  heard  no  more. 


XXIV 


FROM  THE  TAKU  FORTS  TO  THE  RELIEF  OF  PEKING 

AS  the  military  events  connected  with  the  progress 
of  the  Allies  from  the  coast  to  the  capital  have 
been  detailed  at  length  by  more  than  one  com- 
petent observer,  they  will  be  sketched  here  only  in  the 
briefest  manner, — though  of  the  deepest  importance  and 
interest. 

While  the  clouds  were  thickening  about  the  all  but 
doomed  city  of  Peking,  a splendid  fleet  had  for  weeks 
been  proudly  riding  at  anchor  off  the  mouth  of  the  Peiho. 
There  was  good  reason  for  indecision  as  to  their  move- 
ments. 

By  the  middle  of  June  it  was  obvious  to  everyone  that 
the  political  complications  were  so  grave  that  no  peace- 
ful solution  was  at  all  likely.  The  Mephistophelian 
cynicism  of  the  Edicts  of  the  Chinese  Government,  the 
fact  that  the  regular  troops  and  the  Boxers  were  every- 
where fraternizing,  and  the  increasing  evidence  that  the 
Throne  was  privy  to  the  councils  of  extermination,  made 
the  situation  difficult  beyond  precedent,  surpassing  the 
flight  of  the  wildest  imagination  previous  to  this  experi- 
ence. Peking  was  already  cut  off  from  the  world.  There 
was  an  unknown  body  of  Chinese  troops  between  the 
capital  and  Tientsin,  where  the  McCalla-Seymour  Ex- 
pedition was  soon  to  be  fighting  for  its  life  against  over- 
whelming odds.  Gen.  Nieh  was  somewhere,  and  there 
was  a great  camp  of  his  troops  at  Lu  T’ai,  which  could 

435 


436 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  line  of  communication  of  the 
fleet  with  the  Settlement  of  Tientsin.  There  were  signs 
that  those  troops  were  about  to  move,  that  the  river  itself 
was  being  mined  with  torpedoes,  and  that  the  Taku  Forts 
were  to  be  strongly  reinforced,  so  that  their  capture 
without  enormous  loss  would  be  out  of  the  question. 

On  Saturday,  June  16th,  the  Admirals  held  a Council 
and  under  these  exigent  circumstances  determined  to 
send  an  ultimatum  calling  for  the  disbandment  of  the 
troops,  and  announcing  that  if  it  was  not  complied  with 
before  2 a.  m.,  the  United  Squadron  would  destroy 
the  forts.  Admiral  Kempff,  representing  the  United 
States,  dissented  from  this  step,  but  that  fact  did  not  in- 
fluence his  subsequent  actions. 

The  questions  in  what  is  termed  “ International  Law  ” 
thus  brought  to  the  front,  have  served  for  much  debate, 
and  many  vigorous  editorials  ever  since.  But  at  the  time, 
and  under  the  circumstances,  it  is  difficult  to  see  what 
else  the  Admirals  could  have  done  with  any  self-respect, 
or  with  any  regard  to  the  interests  of  their  respective 
Powers.  It  is  quite  true  that  it  was  this  ultimatum 
which  directly  led  to  the  corresponding  order  to  the  Lega- 
tions to  leave  Peking  within  four  and  twenty  hours,  and 
it  is  likewise  a fact  that  the  effect  of  the  attack  upon 
the  Taku  Forts  by  the  Allied  Forces  was  to  fire  the 
Chinese  national  feeling,  as  nothing  else  had  ever  before 
done.  In  some  respects  it  is  comparable  in  its  conse- 
quences to  the  effect  of  the  assault  upon  Fort  Sumter 
upon  the  people  of  the  North,  at  the  opening  of  the 
American  Civil  War. 

Nevertheless,  if  the  Taku  Forts  had  not  been  taken 
within  a few  hours  of  that  time,  it  is  a moral  certainty 
that  not  only  would  the  Legations  in  Peking  have  been 
even  in  far  greater  peril  than  they  were  placed  by  this 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  437 


act,  but  that  it  would  have  been  hard  to  save  the  lives 
of  a single  man,  woman,  or  child  of  the  large  numbers 
who  were  at  Tientsin,  and  who  as  it  was  were  rescued 
from  deadly  peril  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty. 

The  Chinese  Commander  of  the  principal  Fort  acted 
with  more  decision  and  courage  than  was  expected,  and 
an  hour  before  the  time  limit  had  expired  opened  fire 
upon  the  fleet,  and  hostilities  had  begun.  The  Forts 
were  for  the  third  time  assailed  by  foreign  guns,  which 
in  1858  had  taken  them  within  the  compass  of  twenty 
minutes,  while  the  succeeding  year  the  Forts  had  been 
able  to  beat  back  a combined  squadron  of  thirteen  British 
and  French  gunboats.  On  the  present  occasion  the  fight 
lasted  about  six  hours,  when  the  last  gun  was  silenced 
and  the  north  Fort  w^as  stormed,  the  British  and  the 
Japanese  entering  simultaneously,  and  the  other  contin- 
gents a little  later,  the  Chinese  soldiers  prudently  aban- 
doning the  position  in  hot  haste. 

A shell  from  the  British  “ Algerine  ” exploded  a maga- 
zine in  the  south  Fort,  which  blew  up,  with  a magnificent 
column  of  black  smoke,  500  feet  in  height,  the  wreckage 
falling  for  miles  around.  By  7 130  all  the  Forts  had  been 
taken,  wdth  a loss  of  21  killed  and  57  wounded  on  the 
part  of  the  assailants.  But  for  various  errors  of  judg- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  Chinese,  and  their  lack  of  resolute- 
ness, the  results  might  have  been  very  different. 

The  situation  at  Tientsin  was  now  serious,  but  no  in- 
formation regarding  it  had  reached  Taku,  the  communi- 
cation having  been  completely  cut  off.  It  was  impera- 
tively necessary  to  get  word  to  the  fleet  of  the  dire  dis- 
tress of  the  foreign  settlement.  In  this  emergency  James 
Watts,  a young  Englishman  of  22  years,  volunteered  to 
ride  with  despatches  through  forty  miles  of  country 
swarming  with  Boxers.  He  started  under  cover  of  dark- 


438 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


ness  on  a pony,  with  three  mounted  Cossacks,  for  a 
journey  of  twelve  hours,  knowing  only  three  words  of 
Russian.  He  had  to  speed  through  villages  where  men 
were  sitting  with  rifles  and  fixed  bayonets,  his  flask  was 
shot  away,  and  the  lives  of  all  were  in  momently  peril. 
The  horses  swam  a creek  near  a hostile  village  and 
reached  Taku,  where  the  despatches  were  delivered  to 
the  Russian  Admiral.  This  brave  act  saved  the  lives  of 
the  besieged  at  Tientsin,  and  was  subsequently  rewarded 
with  a decoration. 

From  Tangku  to  Tientsin  the  railway  was  largely  torn 
up  by  Boxers,  and  tbe  last  part  of  the  distance  was  made 
with  extreme  difficulty  by  tbe  relieving  forces.  They 
were  welcomed  by  the  besieged  with  great  joy,  a full 
week  after  the  Forts  had  been  taken. 

In  case  relief  did  not  come,  the  military  authorities 
had  seriously  debated  tbe  question  of  the  necessity  of 
abandoning  Tientsin  altogether,  and  retreating  upon 
Taku. 

The  relieving  body  had  no  sooner  reached  Tientsin 
than  a party  was  sent  out  to  rescue  in  turn  the  force  of 
Admiral  Seymour  which  though  but  a few  miles  from 
Tientsin  was  unable  to  move  on  account  of  the  large 
number  of  the  wounded  and  the  strength  of  the  enemy. 
To  the  fortunes  and  misfortunes  of  that  famous  expedi- 
tion it  will  be  desirable  to  devote  a little  attention. 

Early  in  June  Admiral  Seymour  had  proposed  that  the 
senior  naval  officers  should  consult  in  regard  to  mutual 
protection,  and  the  first  meeting  of  this  kind  was  held 
June  4th,  the  officers  of  eight  nations  being  present.  Two 
days  later  at  another  consultation  it  was  agreed  that  if 
communication  with  Peking  should  be  cut  off,  it  should 
be  reopened  with  whatever  force  was  necessary. 

On  the  9th  another  conference  was  held  owing  to  the 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  439 


receipt  of  an  urgent  telegram  from  Peking,  the  Ministers 
saying  that  unless  they  were  soon  relieved  it  would  be 
too  late.  Capt.  McCalla  was  resolved  to  go  to  the  relief 
of  the  United  States  Minister,  and  Admiral  Seymour  in 
like  manner  declared  his  intention  to  start  at  once,  and  ex- 
pressed a hope  that  the  rest  would  cooperate. 

The  force  which  left  on  the  morning  of  the  10th  was 
composed  of  300  British,  112  Americans,  40  Italians,  and 
25  Austrians.  The  train  proceeded  to  Yang  Ts’un  where 
it  had  to  stop  for  repairs.  There  it  remained  for  the 
night,  and  there  two  more  trains  joined  the  expedition, 
making  a total  number  of  112  Americans,  23  Aus- 
trians, 915  British,  100  French,  450  Germans,  40  Italians, 
54  Japanese,  and  112  Russians.  This  was  increased  the 
next  day  by  the  addition  of  200  Russians  and  58  French, 
to  a total  of  2,066  men. 

On  the  1 2th  a guard  having  been  left  at  Lo  Fa,  it  was 
found  that  the  line  was  much  cut  up  in  front.  A party 
was  sent  out  to  An  Ting  to  prevent  more  damage  and 
to  hold  the  station  there.  The  party  was  attacked  three 
times  by  Boxers,  who  retreated  with  the  loss  of  fifteen 
men. 

About  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  there  was  another 
onset  by  450  Boxers,  who  advanced  with  great  courage 
and  enthusiasm,  but  who  were  repulsed  with  a total 
loss  of  about  130.  As  the  party  at  An  Ting  was  out  of 
ammunition  a retreat  was  ordered. 

On  the  13th  Maj.  Johnstone  was  sent  towards  An 
Ting,  but  was  attacked  in  a village  adjoining  the  railway. 
The  Boxers  lost  about  25  men  killed,  while  there  were  no 
foreign  casualties.  The  party  returned  to  the  main  body 
on  the  evening  of  the  14th.  On  that  day  there  was  a 
fierce  and  determined  assault  by  Boxers  in  great  numbers 
on  the  train  at  Lang  Fang.  They  advanced  in  a loose 


440 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


formation,  with  the  utmost  courage  under  a withering 
fire,  and  some  even  reached  the  train  before  they  were 
killed.  Their  loss  was  about  ioo.  Five  Italians  who 
were  on  an  exposed  picket  in  an  abandoned  village  were 
killed. 

At  5 130  p.  m.  a messenger  from  Lo  Fa  in  the  rear 
reported  that  the  guard  was  being  attacked  by  a large 
body  of  the  enemy.  A train  was  taken  down  the  line  to 
assist  them,  when  it  was  found  that  the  fight  was  over, 
and  that  the  Boxers  were  retreating  having  left  about 
100  killed.  Two  small  cannon  had  been  captured  from 
the  Chinese.  Two  seamen  were  dangerously  wounded, 
one  of  whom  died  later. 

On  the  15th  the  line  was  repaired  under  a strong  guard, 
but  the  road  below  Lo  Fa  to  the  rear  was  reported  broken 
up,  and  the  Boxers  were  concentrating  on  Yang  Ts’un 
to  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  expedition. 

On  the  16th  a train  endeavoured  to  get  through  to 
Tientsin,  starting  at  4 A.  M.,  but  returned  at  3 p.  M., 
because  the  line  was  too  much  damaged.  Both  provisions 
and  ammunition  were  now  running  short ; the  expedition 
was  entirely  cut  off  from  its  base  and  since  for  three 
days  there  had  been  no  intelligence  from  Tientsin,  it  was 
ignorant  of  what  was  occurring  elsewhere.  It  was  vital 
that  the  rear  should  be  protected ; but  when  on  the  17th 
a train  reached  Yang  Ts’un  it  found  the  station  de- 
molished, communication  more  than  ever  cut  off,  and 
no  supplies  obtainable.  Messages  had  been  sent  back  to 
Tientsin  with  orders  for  junks  and  provisions  to  be  sent 
to  Yang  Ts’un,  but  no  couriers  had  got  through,  and 
even  if  they  had  done  so  no  boats  could  have  been  sent. 
From  the  13th  of  June  to  the  26th  there  was  no  com- 
munication from  the  Admiral  to  Tientsin  or  vice  versa. 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  441 


As  an  advance  was  now  felt  to  be  an  impossibility  the 
recall  of  the  trains  in  the  front  was  determined  on. 

The  following  day — June  18th — a new  aspect  was  put 
on  affairs  by  a strong  attack  at  Lang  Fang,  not  as  here- 
tofore by  Boxers,  but  by  the  regular  troops  of  Tung  Fu 
Hsiang,  who  had  been  stationed  in  the  Blunting  Park 
south  of  Peking,  and  who  now  began  to  “ bear  a hand  ” 
in  a decided  manner.  The  force  including  cavalry  was 
estimated  at  not  less  than  5,000  men,  armed  with  the 
latest  magazine  rifles.  This  gave  the  first  definite  knowl- 
edge that  Imperial  troops  were  arrayed  against  the  ex- 
pedition. They  were  driven  off,  but  rallied,  and  when 
repulsed  were  supposed  to  have  lost  400  killed.  The 
loss  of  the  Allies  was  six  killed,  and  48  wounded. 

At  a conference  the  next  day  (19th)  it  was  decided 
to  abandon  the  railway  trains,  and  to  withdraw  to  Tien- 
tsin, marching  by  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  conveying  the 
wounded  and  the  necessaries  in  boats,  four  of  which  had 
been  taken  by  the  Germans  below  Yang  Ts'un.  A start 
was  made  at  3 p.  m.  A six-pounder  gun  had  to  be  thrown 
overboard  before  one  of  the  junks  would  float.  The 
men  were  unskilled  in  handling  the  clumsy  boats,  and  no 
Chinese  were  to  be  had.  The  enemy  opened  fire  but 
were  driven  back.  Several  villages  had  to  be  carried  by 
rifle  fire  or  by  bayonet  charges,  which  were  invariably 
successful.  A one-pound  gun  used  by  the  enemy  was 
harassing,  but  its  position  could  not  be  located.  The 
distance  made  this  day  was  eight  miles.  The  Chinese 
cavalry  hovered  about  all  day  firing  occasionally,  the 
enemy  using  artillery  which  was  replied  to  in  kind.  Sev- 
eral villages  had  to  be  taken  by  fighting,  the  enemy 
being  strongly  posted  in  Pei  Ts’ang.  It  was  decided  after 
a rest  to  make  a night-march. 


442 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


On  the  2 1 st  the  enemy  made  an  increasingly  stubborn 
resistance,  and  their  gun-power  was  augmented  so  that 
but  six  miles  were  made.  The  lighter  containing  the 
guns  filled  and  sank,  and  had  to  be  abandoned,  only  the 
Maxims  being  saved. 

At  4 p.  m.  the  expedition  arrived  opposite  the  Imperial 
Chinese  Armory  at  Hsiku.  A party  of  ioo  men  under 
Maj.  Johnstone  was  sent  across  the  river  to  rush  the 
position,  and  at  the  same  time  a German  detachment 
crossed  lower  down,  capturing  several  Krupp  guns.  The 
two  parties  soon  cleared  the  Armory,  the  main  body 
crossing  the  river  and  occupying  the  place,  which  was 
commodious  and  defensible  by  the  numerous  captured 
guns.  The  provisions  remaining  were  sufficient  only  for 
three  days  at  half  allowance,  but  the  next  day  when  there 
was  an  opportunity  to  make  a search,  15  tons  of  rice  were 
found.  This  set  at  rest  all  fears  of  starvation. 

Renewed  efforts  were  made  to  communicate  with 
Tientsin,  but  in  vain.  The  Chinese  made  a most  de- 
termined attempt  on  the  23rd  to  retake  the  Armory,  but 
were  wholly  unsuccessful.  Immense  supplies  of  guns, 
ammunition,  and  war  material  of  the  latest  pattern  were 
found  there ; thus  the  great  want  of  food  and  ammuni- 
tion being  suddenly  met  it  was  possible  to  hold  out  for 
several  days.  The  number  of  wounded  was  about  230 
and  on  this  account  it  was  impossible  to  force  a way 
to  Tientsin,  now  but  a few  miles  distant.  The  couriers 
had  all  been  either  killed  or  stopped.  Guns  were  mounted 
and  a Boxer  stronghold  down  the  river  was  attacked  with 
such  good  effect  that  thereafter  the  enemy  was  more 
quiet. 

A courier  succeeded  on  the  23rd  in  getting  through 
to  Tientsin.  Although  captured  and  tied  for  a time  to 
a tree,  he  had  destroyed  his  message  and  was  released. 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  443 


A Chinese  soldier  taken  prisoner  the  next  day  said  that 
Gen.  Nieh’s  army  was  much  discouraged  at  their  failure, 
having  attacked  with  25  battalions  of  300  or  400  men 
each.  On  the  25th  the  relief  column  under  the  Russian 
Col.  Shirinsky  appeared  in  sight,  to  the  joy  of  all.  The 
wounded  were  transported  across  the  river,  and  the  whole 
force  followed  later,  bivouacking  on  the  bank  for  the 
night.  On  the  26th,  after  the  return  march  had  com- 
menced, Lt.  Lowther-Crofton,  and  Mr.  Davidge,  Gun- 
ner, remained  behind  to  destroy  as  far  as  possible  the 
contents  of  the  Armory,  which  were  of  the  estimated 
value  of  three  million  pounds  sterling.  After  the  work 
of  destruction  had  been  accomplished  the  officers  re- 
crossed the  river,  mounted  ponies  which  were  in  waiting, 
and  overtook  the  main  body. 

During  the  whole  sixteen  days  it  was  difficult  to  esti- 
mate with  precision  the  numbers  of  the  enemy.  At  first 
they  were  simply  Boxers  armed  with  spears,  but  later 
the  Chinese  regulars,  and  perhaps  the  best  fighting  men 
to  be  found  in  the  Empire,  joined  them.  It  was  unfore- 
seen that  these  soldiers  would  join  in  the  attack,  and  this 
alone  made  the  whole  enterprise  impracticable. 

The  gallantry  and  steadiness  with  which  it  was  con- 
ducted by  this  mixed  contingent  are  worthy  of  all  praise. 
Admiral  Seymour  in  his  official  report  especially  com- 
mends the  conduct  and  services  of  Capt.  Von  Usedom 
of  the  Imperial  German  Navy,  whom  he  had  nominated 
as  his  successor  in  case  of  accident,  and  also  Capt.  Mc- 
Calla,  each  of  whom  were  wounded. 

The  dramatic  incidents  of  this  attempted  relief  expedi- 
tion attracted  universal  attention,  and  whatever  else  the 
enterprise  may  have  accomplished  it  disposed  once  for 
all  of  the  favourite  proposition  so  often  advanced  that  it 
would  be  possible  for  a small  but  well  organized  and 


444 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


thoroughly  equipped  foreign  force  to  march  through 
China  from  end  to  end  without  effective  opposition. 

An  important  result  of  this  failure  to  force  a way  to 
Peking  was  the  profound  conviction  on  the  part  of  many 
military  authorities  that  the  Capital  could  not  now  be 
reached  without  an  enormous  army  prepared  for  all  con- 
tingencies, and  able  to  hold  open  communications  with 
their  base  against  any  possible  force  which  the  Chinese 
could  bring.  Extreme  confidence  in  foreign  ability  to 
deal  with  Chinese  opposition,  thus  gave  way  to  a much 
j uster  estimate  of  the  difficulties  to  be  faced  when  the 
Chinese  were  thoroughly  aroused  and  poured  forth  in 
practically  illimitable  numbers. 

The  story  of  the  Siege  of  Tientsin  deserves  far  more 
space  than  can  be  devoted  to  it  in  these  pages,  for  taken 
altogether  it  is  perhaps  not  less  remarkable  than  the 
Siege  in  Peking. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  Foreign  Settlements, 
French,  British,  and  German,  lie  along  the  Peiho,  be- 
ginning a mile  or  so  below  the  native  city  and  extending 
for  another  two  miles  or  more,  with  an  average  breadth  of 
perhaps  half  a mile.  An  earth  rampart  fully  ten  miles  in 
length  surrounds  the  settlements,  the  native  city,  and  the 
suburbs.  The  vicinity  of  the  city  itself  and  that  of  all 
the  settlements,  was  crowded  with  Chinese  villages,  each 
of  which  became  a natural  and  a convenient  nest  for 
Boxers  and  for  Imperial  Soldiers  in  their  attack. 

The  rampart  which,  could  it  have  been  held,  would 
have  made  an  excellent  defence,  was  partly  within  and 
partly  without  the  lines,  and  the  handful  of  foreign 
soldiers,  aggregating  about  2,400  when  reenforced  by  the 
Volunteers,  was  totally  inadequate  to  guard  so  long  a line, 
attacked  by  perhaps  five  thousand  Chinese  troops,  with 
an  indefinite  number  of  cooperating  Boxers. 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  445 


Instead  of  making  a strenuous  attack  in  two  places 
at  once,  the  Chinese  contented  themselves  with  a galling 
rifle  fire  from  across  the  river,  and  indeed  from  every 
direction.  The  bombardment  by  shells  began  on  Sunday, 
June  17th — the  day  of  the  fighting  at  the  Taku  Forts — 
by  a plan  evidently  preconcerted,  and  continued  with 
occasional  intermittence  until  the  city  was  captured  a 
month  later. 

The  miscellaneous  foreign  community  retreated  to  the 
Municipal  Flail,  a lofty  structure  in  the  Norman  style, 
well  adapted  to  serve  both  as  a fort  and  a hospital. 

The  larger  part  of  the  non-combatants  gathered  there 
under  siege  conditions,  but  a considerable  number  of  the 
missionaries  were  invited  by  Mr.  Edmund  Cousins,  the 
hospitable  agent  of  Jardine,  Matheson  & Co.,  to  his  com- 
pound, where  also  the  native  Christians  to  the  number 
of  over  500  found  accommodation  in  the  expansive  go- 
downs.  As  in  Peking,  so  here  at  the  beginning  of  the 
siege,  the  Christians  were  regarded  as  a menace  and  a 
nuisance,  and  as  in  Peking  so  in  Tientsin,  it  was  not 
long  before  it  was  perceived  that  without  their  help  the 
necessary  labour  simply  could  not  have  been  performed  as 
practically  all  other  Chinese  quit  their  work  and  fled. 

The  whole  settlement  was  barricaded  with  bales  of 
goods  from  the  godowns,  a task  which,  owing  to  the  long 
distances  and  the  number  of  cross-streets,  involved  a 
great  amount  of  exhausting  labour.  The  men  among  the 
Christians  carried  water,  ammunition,  and  provisions, 
and  dug  the  numerous  graves,  the  women  did  the  hospital 
washing,  picked  over  the  camel’s-wool  for  pillows,  and 
performed  much  other  useful  service,  winning  in  the  end 
unstinted  praise. 

The  arrival  of  the  relief  force  at  Tientsin  did  not 
prove  the  immediate  deliverance  of  the  Foreign  Settle- 


446 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


ments  from  perpetual  attack,  as  had  been  expected.  The 
enemy  was  numerous  and  gradually  became  aggressive. 
After  a fierce  and  bloody  contest,  the  Eastern  Arsenal 
was  taken  on  June  27th,  a slightly  inaccurate  report  of 
which  by  Yii  Lu,  the  Governor,  found  its  way  into  the 
“ Peking  Gazette,”  and  enlightened  the  darkness  of  the 
besieged  in  the  Legations.  The  military  relations  were, 
it  is  true,  sufficiently  harmonious,  but  that  did  not  lead 
to  the  vigorous  action  which  any  one  or  two  of  the  de- 
tachments would  have  been  likely  to  take  by  themselves. 

A Fort  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Peiho  and  the 
Grand  Canal  was  the  key  of  the  position,  for  it  com- 
manded the  native  city,  the  suburbs,  the  settlements,  and 
the  line  of  advance  to  Peking  by  rail  or  river.  The  dif- 
ficulties of  the  Allies  were  enormously  increased  by  the 
inexplicable  lack  of  suitable  artillery,  theirs  being  far  in- 
ferior to  that  of  the  Chinese.  Many  of  the  Chinese  guns 
were  difficult  to  locate,  and  practically  inaccessible,  but 
their  range  was  excellent,  and  their  attacks  most  annoy- 
ing. On  a single  day  six  shells  were  thrown  into  the 
Temperance  Hall,  occupied  as  the  head-quarters  of  Gen. 
Dorward  and  his  staff.  One  shell  went  through  the 
dinner-table  while  the  officers  were  at  tiffin,  followed  im- 
mediately by  another  equally  well  aimed. 

It  was  unsafe  to  appear  anywhere  upon  the  streets  on 
account  of  random  shots,  the  steady  rifle  fire,  and  the  con- 
stant shooting  from  loopholes  in  Chinese  houses  in  the 
French  settlement  and  elsewhere,  at  every  foreigner  who 
showed  himself.  The  settlements  were  full  of  spies, 
many  of  them  posted  in  foreign  houses  deserted  by  their 
owners,  whence  they  kept  up  a perpetual  fusillade.  Some 
of  them  even  acted  as  signalmen  for  the  Chinese  gunners 
at  a distance,  indicating  at  what  places  to  direct  their  fire, 
and  it  proved  practically  impossible  to  detect  and  dislodge 


BLACK  FORT  AT  TIENTSIN,  OUTSIDE  VIEW 


BLACK  FORT  AT  TIENTSIN,  INSIDE  VIEW 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  447 


them  all,  but  as  many  as  were  caught  were  immediately 
executed. 

The  center  of  the  fighting  and  the  key  of  the  position 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river  was  the  railway  station,  the 
holding  of  which  was  recognized  both  by  the  Chinese  and 
the  Allies  as  vital.  The  courage  and  persistence  of  the 
Russians  at  this  point  more  than  once  saved  the  day. 
They  guarded  the  pontoon  bridge,  and  bore  the  brunt  of 
the  heavy  fighting  in  the  exposed  positions  between  the 
river  and  the  captured  Arsenal.  On  one  occasion  en- 
gines were  urgently  needed  down  the  line.  There  were 
locomotives  at  the  station,  but  the  problem  was  how  to 
get  them  out  under  the  heavy  shell  fire.  Russian  in- 
fantry made  a wide  feint  attack  to  attract  the  enemy’s 
attention  on  the  left,  while  two  engines  on  which  steam 
had  been  got  up,  and  three  trucks  were  to  make  a dash 
over  a mile  of  exposed  embankment. 

Hardly  had  the  first  puff  of  white  smoke  appeared  from 
the  funnel,  when  the  Chinese  saw  what  was  going  on 
and  at  once  turned  their  guns  upon  the  train.  Four 
shells  whizzed  over  it  and  then  two  fell  just  short ; 
speed  was  gathered  and  tlie  gunners  did  not  again  get 
so  near,  but  the  gauntlet  had  to  be  run  for  a mile  or  so, 
and  it  was  made  warm  for  them  all  the  way.  It  was  a 
daring  deed  dashingly  done,  and  the  most  exciting  inci- 
dent of  the  day. 

On  the  5th  of  July  transportation  was  provided  and 
the  ladies  and  children  who  were  still  left  in  Tientsin 
were  sent  to  Tangku,  on  the  way  to  some  safer  place  than 
a settlement  which  was  daily  being  shelled.  A previous 
party  had  escaped  just  in  time  to  witness  the  attack  on 
the  forts,  and  to  be  within  range  of  the  fire, — to  their 
imminent  peril,  from  which  they  all  happily  escaped. 

For  a summary  of  the  following  events,  as  for  some 


44-8 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


which  have  been  previously  mentioned,  we  are  indebted 
to  the  graphic  and  trustworthy  narrative  of  the  Corre- 
spondent of  the  “ London  Times,”  who  called  attention  to 
the  surprising  and  unique  fact  that  10,000  European 
troops  were  being  held  in  check  by  about  15,000  Chinese 
braves,  the  former  paralyzed  by  the  lack  of  long-range 
guns ; thus  repeating  the  lesson  which  England  had  paid 
so  dearly  to  learn  in  South  Africa — the  importance  of 
heavy  artillery. 

The  inactivity  of  the  Allied  forces  encouraged  the 
Chinese  to  renewed  efforts.  Not  content  with  vigorously 
shelling  the  settlements,  they  were  busily  engaged  in 
pushing  out  their  lines  in  a south-westerly  direction,  until 
eventually  their  flank  rested  on  the  ruined  building  at 
the  race-course,  their  left  remaining  as  before  on  the 
mud  wall  where  the  Lu  T’ai  canal  flows  through  it. 
Their  lines  thus  stretched  from  north-east  to  south-west 
over  a distance  of  about  six  miles,  in  a rough  crescent  or 
semi-circular  shape,  having  the  settlements  for  a centre. 
A British  battery  of  naval  guns  on  the  mud  wall  at  the 
extreme  west  of  the  northern  line  of  defence  was  in  a 
precarious  position,  being  under  a harassing  fire  from 
front  and  rear,  besides  being  enfiladed.  The  settlements, 
now  become  one  huge  camp,  were  subjected  to  a severe 
cross-fire,  in  addition  to  being  bombarded  from  the  fort 
near  the  city  and  from  the  batteries  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  Lu  T’ai  canal.  The  practice  made  by  the  Chinese 
gunners  showed  signs  of  considerable  improvement,  so 
that  an  increasing  amount  of  damage  was  done  and  the 
casualties  in  barracks  grew  frequent.  Inactivity  was  no 
longer  possible ; something  had  to  be  done. 

The  most  pressing  need  was  for  the  clearance  of  the 
rear  and  flank  of  the  battery  of  British  guns  on  the  mud 
wall,  and  this  was  accomplished  on  the  9th  by  a com- 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  449 


binecl  wide  flanking  movement  to  the  south-west,  working 
around  eventually  to  the  north-east  until  the  West  Arsenal 
was  captured  and  cleared.  This  was  accomplished  by 
the  Japanese  blue-jackets  and  the  American  marines,  who 
entered  together,  the  Japanese  flag  flying  over  it  soon 
after.  The  whole  movement  was  well  planned  and  well 
executed  by  the  British,  Japanese  and  Americans  in  com- 
bination, the  naval  battery  was  relieved  in  flank  and  rear, 
and  the  settlements  were  subjected  to  no  further  cross 
shell-fire. 

The  next  day  passed  quietly,  the  Chinese  even  refrain- 
ing from  attacking  the  outposts  at  the  railway  station, 
which  had  not  before  happened  since  the  siege  opened. 
They  began  again  on  the  nth,  and  were  only  repulsed 
after  three  hours’  sharp  fighting,  in  which  the  French 
and  Japanese  lost  heavily,  and  the  British  and  Russians 
slightly.  The  Boxers  had  bayonets,  and  as  they  got  into 
a string  of  railway  trucks  lying  outside  of  the  foreign 
lines,  the  soldiers  had  to  turn  them  out  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet.  The  difficulties  in  getting  the  Allied  artil- 
lery into  position  were  great,  owing  to  the  lack  of  ma- 
terial, tools  and  machinery.  These  were  at  length  over- 
come, and  on  the  13th  it  was  arranged  that  a combined 
movement  of  the  Russians,  assisted  by  the  Germans, 
should  be  made  on  the  batteries  of  the  Chinese  at  the  Lu 
T’ai  canal,  with  a force  of  perhaps  3,500.  Another  body 
of  about  4,500,  consisting  of  Japanese,  British,  Ameri- 
cans, French  and  Austrians,  was  to  advance  under  cover 
of  the  western  battery  of  British  naval  guns  and  attempt 
the  capture  of  the  city  of  Tientsin. 

The  forces  of  the  Japanese  and  British,  under  General 
Fukushima  and  General  Dorward,  started  at  3 a.  m., 
making  a wide  flanking  movement  similar  to  the  one  on 
the  9th. 


450 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


At  daylight  the  British  batteries  attacked  the  Chinese 
position.  The  Allied  troops  converged  on  the  West 
Arsenal  about  a mile  from  the  south  gate. 

During  the  morning  there  was  a terrific  explosion 
caused  by  the  blowing  up  of  a vast  quantity  of  brown 
prismatic  powder  stored  in  a magazine  connected  with 
the  East  Arsenal  and  situated  near  the  Lu  T’ai  canal. 
A colossal  cloud  of  smoke  stood  up  white  and  still  against 
the  clear  blue  sky — a “ wonderful  and  beautiful  sight.” 
In  the  settlements  nearly  every  one  got  the  impression 
that  his  house  had  been  struck  by  a shell,  and  many, 
running  out  to  see  what  damage  had  been  done,  found 
this  marvel  in  the  sky. 

The  plan  was  to  advance  against  the  south  gate,  which 
the  Japanese  were  to  blow  up  and  so  effect  an  entrance ; 
on  their  right  were  the  French,  and  later,  through  an 
error,  the  Americans  under  Col.  Liscum ; on  the  left 
were  the  British. 

The  day  was  hot,  and  so  was  the  fire  from  the  British 
battery  as  well  as  from  the  Chinese  guns  and  the  innu- 
merable rifles  on  the  wall.  The  plain  is  dotted  with 
tumuli  each  representing  a Chinese  grave,  but  they  af- 
forded very  little  shelter  for  so  many  soldiers  at  so  short 
a distance  from  the  enemy.  Col.  Liscum  fell  pierced  by 
a bullet,  and  the  loss  of  the  Americans,  as  well  as  of  the 
other  detachments,  was  very  great,  perhaps  amounting 
to  ten  per  cent,  of  the  forces  engaged,  and  including  a 
great  number  of  officers.  If  the  Chinese  infantry  and 
cavalry  which  during  the  whole  morning  had  been  seen 
drawn  up  on  the  plain  to  the  westward  had  taken  an 
active  part  in  the  operations,  matters  would  have  been 
still  more  serious.  As  it  was,  the  failure  of  ammunition 
and  the  difficulty  of  making  effective  headway  made  the 
situation  bad  enough. 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  451 


Hour  after  hour  passed,  but  the  blowing  up  of  the 
south  gate  did  not  take  place.  At  length  Gen.  Fukishima 
sent  word  to  Gen.  Dorward  that  he  should  himself  oc- 
cupy his  present  position  throughout  the  night,  to  which 
Gen.  Dorward  agreed.  Meantime  no  report  had  come 
from  the  Russians  whose  operations  on  the  north  were  a 
principal  part  of  the  work  of  the  day.  It  later  appeared 
that  they  had  been  very  successful.  After  heavy  fighting 
they  had  captured  the  batteries  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Lu  T’ai  canal,  and  pushing  on  to  destroy  two  Chinese 
camps,  left  a force  to  attack  in  the  dawn,  the  main  body 
returning  to  camp  with  the  loss  of  about  150  men. 

At  three  o’clock  on  the  morning  of  the  14th,  the  Japa- 
nese crossed  the  city  moat,  blew  up  the  entrance  to  the  bas- 
tion of  the  south  gate,  scaled  the  walls,  and  opening  the 
gate  itself  from  the  inside,  admitted  the  rest  of  the  force. 
The  Japanese,  French,  British  and  Americans  poured  into 
the  city,  the  Chinese  dispersing  like  clouds  before  a 
strong  wind.  The  Chinese  position,  had  it  been  properly 
defended,  was  one  of  irresistible  strength,  but  Chinese 
troops  are  incapable  of  resisting  a resolute  attack  of 
Western  or  Japanese  soldiers  and  had  virtually  aban- 
doned their  defence  before  there  was  any  external  evi- 
dence of  that  fact. 

The  city  was  no  sooner  captured  than  a Tientsin  Pro- 
visional Government  was  organized  by  the  Military  Com- 
manders, and  installed  in  the  yamen  of  the  Governor 
General,  who  had  fled,  and  who  seems  to  have  killed 
himself  and  his  whole  family  at  Yang  Ts’un. 

From  the  occupation  of  the  city  onward  for  a period 
of  nearly  three  weeks,  the  whole  world,  especially  the 
tiny  segment  of  it  imprisoned  in  the  Peking  Legations, 
was  anxiously  waiting  to  know  what  was  next  to  be  done 
toward  their  relief.  The  correspondence  in  regard  to 


452 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


the  matter  would  fill  volumes,  and  there  is  more  between 
the  lines  than  in  them. 

Considering  the  proximity  of  Japan  and  the  complete- 
ness of  her  military  preparations,  it  appeared  to  many 
that,  in  the  dire  emergency,  that  Power  would  surely  be 
intrusted  with  the  task  of  rescuing  the  besieged  of  all 
nations,  lest  by  undue  delay  they  should  all  be  massacred 
together.  Japan  was  ready  to  do  the  work,  provided  she 
were  asked  to  do  so  by  all  the  other  Powers.  The  “ other 
Powers  ” had  their  own  ideas,  some  of  which  were  ex- 
pressed and  some  of  which  were  repressed.  In  case 
Japan  were  to  execute  this  commission,  what  was  to  pre- 
vent her  from  retaining  the  territory  which  would  be 
once  more  hers  by  right  of  conquest?  Every  one  had 
vivid  memories  of  the  events  following  the  war  between 
China  and  Japan,  when  the  latter  Empire  was  defrauded 
of  the  fruits  of  her  victory  by  “ diplomacy,”  in  other 
words  by  superior  force. 

The  result  was  what  every  one,  even  the  besieged 
themselves,  anticipated,  and  diplomatically  next  to  noth- 
ing was  done  beyond  exchanging  notes  and  ascertaining 
by  slow  processes  of  conference,  proposition  and  explana- 
tion, iterated  and  reiterated,  what  the  Powers  respectively 
were  not  prepared  to  do.  Troops  meantime  were  pour- 
ing into  northern  China  from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth,  with  more  and  ever  more  to  follow. 

There  was  not  wanting  evidence  that  delay  might  be 
fatal  to  the  success  of  the  relief  of  the  Legations,  but 
the  inevitable  difficulties  attendant  upon  the  movement  of 
large  bodies  of  troops  in  a foreign  land  under  unpropi- 
tious  conditions,  especially  when  as  now  flying  several 
different  flags,  made  it  unlikely  that  anything  would  be 
done  before  September.  The  effect  of  the  repulse  of 
Admiral  Seymour,  as  already  remarked,  was  to  inspire 


WALL  OF  TIENTSIN  AFTER  BOMBARDMENT 


GATE  THROUGH  WHICH  ALLIES  ENTERED  TIENTSIN 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  453 


extreme  distrust  of  any  but  the  most  thorough  prepara- 
tion, especially  as  it  was  thought  that  the  Chinese  might 
be  able  to  mass  perhaps  fifty  thousand  troops  to  oppose 
the  Allied  advance.  The  Americans  and  the  British 
were  alike  impatient  for  a forward  movement,  but  noth- 
ing seemed  decided  upon. 

It  became  known  at  a later  day  that  the  influence  of 
Jung  Lu  had  been  exerted  in  Peking  to  minimize  the 
unavoidable  attacks  upon  the  Legations,  and  that,  while 
he  could  not  repress  he  could  in  some  degree  neutralize 
the  vicious  energy  of  Tung  Fu  Hsiang;  and  in  this  he 
was  to  a considerable  degree  successful.  Jung  Lu  was 
in  communication  with  trusted  Chinese  at  Taku  and  at 
the  Pei  T'ang  Forts,  who  perfectly  comprehended  the 
situation.  It  was  learned  from  messengers  who  left  Pe- 
king at  the  time  when  the  capture  of  Tientsin  was  first 
known  there,  that  the  party  of  Prince  Tuan  and  Tung 
Fu  Hsiang  was  practically  irresistible,  and  that  it  would 
not  do  to  wait  till  September  to  start  the  army  of  relief. 
This  information  was  communicated  to  Mr.  Detring,  one 
of  the  commissioners  of  the  Imperial  Customs,  and  by 
him  to  the  Allied  Commanders. 

On  the  3rd  of  August  a five  hours’  conference  of  the 
Allied  Generals  was  held,  at  which  it  was  decided  to 
start  the  next  day,  despite  the  fact  that  it  was  in  the 
midst  of  the  rainy  season  when  the  difficulties  of  trans- 
port are  likely  to  be  almost  insuperable.  As  it  was  they 
were  truly  colossal,  and  were  greatly  augmented  by  the 
heterogeneous  nature  of  the  Allied  forces,  and  the  end- 
less variety  of  their  equipment.  The  latter  was  at  all 
points  insufficient,  even  that  of  the  Japanese,  who  had 
to  provide  for  a division  instead,  as  originally  planned, 
for  a brigade.  The  road  was  blocked  with  carts  of  all 
sizes  and  kinds,  from  the  light  little  wagon  used  by  the 


454 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Japanese  to  the  heavy  army  wagons  of  the  Americans, 
drawn  by  four  enormous  mules  and  capable  under  any 
ordinary  circumstances  of  hauling  immense  loads.  The 
total  number  of  troops  was  in  the  vicinity  of  20,000,  of 
whom  the  Japanese  had  about  10,000,  the  Russians  4,000, 
the  British  3,000,  the  Americans  2,000,  and  the  other 
Powers  each  but  a few  hundred.  All  the  larger  con- 
tingents were  provided  with  artillery,  the  Japanese  alone 
having  perhaps  as  many  guns  as  all  the  others  combined. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  4th  the  British  and  American 
troops  moved  out  toward  Hsiku,  where  Admiral  Sey- 
mour’s expedition  had  taken  the  Armory.  The  route 
lay  through  the  endless  series  of  villages  which  line  the 
Peiho  on  either  side.  Heavy  rain  had  threatened,  and 
on  the  way  it  began  to  fall,  making  the  roads  slippery 
and  furnishing  a foretaste  of  what  might  be  expected 
if  the  fall  should  be  heavy  and  continuous. 

Before  the  village  was  reached  the  rain  had  stopped. 
Gen.  Gaselee  took  up  his  headquarters  with  the  British 
troops  to  the  left  of  the  place,  and  the  Americans  to  the 
right.  Orders  were  issued  for  an  early  start  on  the  fol- 
lowing day,  and  the  force  lay  down  on  the  wet  ground 
to  snatch  what  sleep  they  might  before  the  impending 
fight.  The  British  troops  consisted  of  four  companies 
of  the  Welsh  Fusiliers;  the  1st  Bengal  Lancers;  the  12th 
Field  Battery  and  the  Hongkong  Artillery,  with  two 
naval  12-pounders  and  four  Maxims;  the  1st  Sikhs,  250 
of  the  24th  Punjab  Infantry,  and  400  of  the  Rajputs. 
The  Naval  Brigade  was  to  cooperate  with  the  Rus- 
sians and  French,  preparing  the  way  for  an  attack  on 
the  enemy’s  left. 

The  American  force  under  Gen.  Chaffee  consisted  of 
450  marines,  the  14th  Regiment,  1,000  strong;  the  9th 
Infantry,  800  strong;  two  Hotchkiss  guns,  and  the  Fifth 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  455 


Field  Battery  under  Capt.  Reilly.  The  Japanese  division 
was  under  Gen.  Yamaguchi,  Gen.  Fukushima  being  Chief 
of  Staff,  with  three  field  batteries,  and  six  mountain 
batteries.  The  Russians  had  two  infantry  regiments 
with  a nominal  strength  of  2,000,  two  field  batteries 
(eight  guns  each)  and  some  squadrons  of  Cossacks.  The 
French,  only  a few  hundred  in  number,  were  infantry 
from  Tongking,  with  two  mountain  batteries  firing 
melinite. 

The  enemy  were  intrenched  in  a position  running 
roughly  north-east  and  south-west  across  the  river  and 
the  railway,  their  right  resting  on  an  embankment,  their 
left  five  miles  away  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  near 
the  fifth  railway  bridge,  beyond  which  the  country  was 
inundated.  The  main  strength  of  their  position  was  in 
the  centre  where  it  crossed  the  river.  Here  was  a skil- 
fully concealed  series  of  rifle  pits  and  trenches  from 
which  it  would  have  been  exceedingly  difficult  to  dislodge 
a courageous  enemy.  On  the  left  bank  of  the  river  their 
position  was  protected  along  its  whole  length  by  a canal. 

The  combined  forces  of  the  Japanese,  British,  and 
Americans  were  to  operate  against  the  enemy’s  position 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  the  Japanese  leading  the 
attack,  the  British  supporting,  and  the  Americans  in  re- 
serve, while  the  Russians  and  French,  assisted  by  the 
guns  of  the  Naval  Brigade,  were  to  operate  on  the  left 
bank. 

About  3 a.  m.,  the  Japanese  moved  forward  and  cap- 
tured a battery  which  would  have  enfiladed  a front  at- 
tack on  the  enemy’s  centre.  There  was  an  artillery  duel 
for  a time,  when  the  Japanese  under  a galling  fire  made 
a charge  for  which  the  Chinese  did  not  wait,  although 
they  inflicted  severe  losses  on  the  Japanese  before  taking 
flight.  The  whole  army  advanced,  the  Americans  on  the 


456 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


left,  the  British  in  the  center,  and  the  Japanese  on  the 
right.  Here  and  there  the  Chinese  made  some  slight 
resistance  at  long  range,  and  it  was  expected  that  they 
would  make  a stand  near  Pei  Ts’ang  where  they  were 
supposed  to  hold  strong  positions,  but  while  they  had  the 
positions  they  had  not  the  disposition  to  stick  to  them. 
The  fight  was  practically  over  when  the  first  trenches 
were  rushed.  Before  9 a.  m.,  the  Japanese  occupied  Nan 
Ts'ang,  after  which  all  firing  ceased. 

The  Japanese  had  borne  the  brunt  of  the  fight,  and 
their  losses  were  all  out  of  proportion  to  those  of  the 
other  forces  engaged,  being  estimated  at  about  60  killed 
and  240  wounded.  The  British  lost  four  killed  and  21 
wounded,  while  the  Americans  lost  none.  The  Russians 
on  the  left  bank  had  six  wounded.  The  Chinese  loss  in 
men  was  not  large,  owing  to  their  being  protected  by  a 
mud  wall,  but  they  lost  “ face  ” and  lost  heart,  a far  more 
important  matter  than  the  actual  number  killed. 

The  whole  army  spent  the  night  at  Pei  Ts’ang.  On 
the  morning  of  the  6th  there  was  another  encounter  with 
the  enemy  at  the  ruins  of  the  railway  station  of  Yang 
Ts’un  which  lasted  for  about  four  hours,  the  Chinese 
being  driven  back  on  the  town  of  Yang  Ts’un,  the  Rus- 
sians shelling  them,  and  the  Bengal  Lancers  clearing 
them  out  of  the  villages.  The  effect  of  the  previous 
day’s  action  was  throughout  apparent,  the  enemy  fight- 
ing in  a very  half-hearted  manner.  The  heaviest  losses 
were  sustained  by  the  Americans,  65  killed  and  wounded 
in  the  14th  Regiment,  and  nine  in  the  9th.  The  British 
losses  were  under  50,  the  Russians  had  seven  killed  and 
20  wounded. 

The  troops  were  exhausted  after  their  two  days  of 
marching  and  fighting  in  excessive  heat,  and  it  was  de- 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  457 


cided  to  remain  at  Yang  Ts’un  during  the  whole  of  the 
following  day,  to  rest  the  force  and  to  wait  for  supplies. 

The  advance  was  resumed  on  the  8th,  the  whole  force  to 
march  thereafter  on  the  right  bank ; the  Japanese  in  front, 
the  Russians  next,  the  Americans  following,  the  British 
bringing  up  the  rear,  while  the  French  were  to  remain 
at  Yang  Ts’un.  The  Japanese  were  quick  marchers  and 
the  Russians  slow,  slouching  along  with  frequent  halts  at 
a pace  hardly  exceeding  a mile  an  hour,  which  greatly 
embarrassed  the  Americans  in  their  rear,  who  were  often 
compelled  to  halt  on  the  sandy  plains  in  the  hot  sun, 
while  the  Russians  were  resting  in  the  umbrageous  vil- 
lages in  front.  This  fact  was  of  importance  as  accounting 
for  the  large  number  of  casualties  which  they  suffered 
from  the  heat,  the  Americans  and  the  British  being 
obliged  to  do  the  heaviest  marching  in  the  hottest  hours 
of  the  day. 

The  superior  organization  and  equipment  of  the  Japan- 
ese were  everywhere  conspicuous,  and  their  position  in 
the  front  of  the  column  gave  the  enemy  no  time  to  rally, 
so  that  their  retreat  was  in  reality  a long  and  rapid  flight 
before  the  agile  men  from  the  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun, 
who  gave  them  no  respite  and  no  pause.  Gen.  Fu- 
kushima,  the  moving  spirit  of  the  pursuit,  was  asked  if 
his  troops  wrere  not  very  tired,  and  replied : “ Yes,  but 

so  are  the  enemy.” 

His  plan  was  to  keep  them  on  the  run  at  all  costs, 
and  it  was  carried  through  perfectly  and  with  great  suc- 
cess. His  cavalry  and  mounted  infantry  were  usually 
pushed  ahead  about  three  miles  in  advance  of  the  main 
body  of  infantry.  Whenever  they  got  into  touch  with 
the  enemy  they  dropped  back  upon  the  infantry,  which 
was  then  extended  and  sent  forward  to  go  thoroughly 


458 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


through  all  the  villages  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  line 
of  march.  While  the  infantry  rested  after  this,  the  cav- 
alry pushed  on  again,  and  the  process,  to  the  consterna- 
tion of  the  pursued,  was  repeated. 

On  the  morning  of  the  9th  the  Japanese  shelled  the 
Chinese  out  of  Ho  Hsi  Wu,  who  after  some  skirmishing 
fled,  leaving  the  place  to  the  Japanese.  The  same  day 
the  Bengal  Lancers  and  the  Japanese  Mounted  Infantry 
came  on  a body  of  200  Chinese  cavalry,  scattering  them, 
killing  about  fifty,  and  capturing  four  banners  of  Gen. 
Sung  and  Gen.  Ma. 

On  the  10th  the  main  body  was  at  Ma  T’ou,  and 
though  the  march  was  not  a long  one  the  road  was  lined 
with  stragglers.  The  place  where  the  Chinese  had  break- 
fasted in  the  morning  was  strewed  with  melon  rinds. 
They  had  no  commissariat  and  lived  on  what  they  could 
pick  up,  such  as  melons  and  Indian  corn. 

The  next  day  the  weather  was  a little  cooler,  and  to 
the  great  relief  of  the  troops,  rain  fell.  The  army  brought 
up  at  Chang  Chia  Wan,  and  the  Japanese  shelled  the 
enemy  out  of  a position  south  of  T’ung  Chou,  from 
which  they  retired  into  that  city. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  (Sunday)  the 
Japanese  advanced  to  assault  the  east  south  gate,  and 
found  the  city  evacuated  by  the  Chinese  troops  and  no 
resistance  offered  to  an  entrance,  though  the  city  wall  is 
strong  and  high  and  could  easily  have  been  defended. 
By  way  of  saluting  their  own  general  the  Japanese  blew 
in  the  outer  gate  of  the  enceinte,  and  the  city  was  quietly 
occupied.  Gen.  Yamaguchi  issued  a proclamation  assur- 
ing safety  and  protection  to  non-combatants,  and  promis- 
ing to  respect  the  rights  of  the  people  in  their  homes. 
The  Japanese  took  the  southern  half  of  the  city,  and  the 
French,  who  had  now  reappeared,  the  northern  part. 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  459 


The  Allies  spent  the  night  of  the  12th  at  T’ung  Chou, 
and  on  the  next  day  began  the  last  march  to  Peking,  now 
only  twelve  miles  distant.  The  Japanese  advanced  along 
the  stone  road  leading  to  the  Ch’i  Hua  gate,  the  Rus- 
sians south  of  them,  but  to  the  north  of  the  canal,  on 
the  road  to  the  Tung  Pien  gate  of  the  southern  city. 
South  of  the  canal,  on  the  road  to  the  same  gate,  marched 
the  Americans,  and  still  farther  south,  the  British. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  at  a distance  of  three  miles 
from  Peking,  the  four  columns  were  to  halt,  and  that 
another  conference  should  be  held  to  decide  on  a plan  of 
attack.  But  the  Russians,  instead  of  halting,  marched 
close  up  to  the  city  walls,  and  meeting  no  opposition 
thought  it  possible  to  effect  an  entrance.  But  they  had 
not  reached  the  gate  before  a hot  rifle  fire  from  the  corner 
of  the  northern  city  wall  met  them,  and  their  loss  was 
heavy,  including  the  Chief  of  Staff,  Gen.  Vasilewski. 
They  became  tangled  up  inside  the  Tung  Pien  gate, 
which  had  been  forced  open,  and  for  many  hours  made 
no  progress. 

The  Japanese  advanced  to  the  vicinity  of  Ch'i  Hua  gate 
early  on  the  morning  of  the  14th,  working  under  cover 
of  houses  toward  the  vicinity  of  the  gate,  which  they 
hoped  to  blow  up.  But  the  rifle  fire  from  the  wall  was 
so  sharp  that  the  Japanese  suffered  severely,  and  it  was 
decided  to  bombard  the  wall.  The  bombardment  began 
about  10  a.  m.,  and  continued  for  some  hours  without 
much  visible  impression  being  made.  Only  the  heaviest 
artillery  would  have  breached  the  wall  of  the  gate,  and 
the  number  of  sharp-shooters  made  impracticable  any  ap- 
proach to  blow  it  up.  More  than  a thousand  shells  were 
wasted,  as  well  as  the  whole  day,  and  nothing  had  been 
gained.  It  was  decided  to  wait  until  night  to  blow  up  the 
gate.  It  was  then  successfully  accomplished,  the  lofty 


460 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


tower  being  set  on  fire,  and  the  Chinese  troops  driven 
from  the  wall  with  great  slaughter.  All  honour  to  the 
brave  troops  of  every  nation,  and  most  of  all  to  the 
sturdy  Japanese! 

The  American  troops  had  come  early  in  the  fore- 
noon to  the  corner  of  the  southern  city  wall,  near  the 
Tung  Pien  gate,  where  some  of  the  men  scaled  the  wall. 
The  main  body  came  in  at  the  Tung  Pien  gate,  as  the 
Russians  had  done  before  them,  and  found  themselves 
within  the  southern  city  exposed  to  a heavy  fire  from  its 
northern  wall.  Their  detachment  entered  the  southern 
city  at  about  the  same  time  as  the  British,  but  they  missed 
their  way,  and  it  was  many  hours  before  they  reached 
the  water-gate,  entering  the  British  Legation  some  time 
after  the  British,  a part  of  each  of  these  forces  forcing 
open  the  Ch’ien  Men,  or  main  gate  of  the  wall  between 
the  cities. 

The  British  were  fortunate  in  finding  the  Sha  Kuo 
gate,  on  the  east  face  of  the  southern  city,  almost  en- 
tirely undefended,  though  a party  of  Chinese  cavalry  had 
first  to  be  shelled  out  of  a village  in  front  of  it.  A small 
guard  was  left  to  hold  the  gate,  the  24th  Punjab  In- 
fantry was  sent  to  occupy  the  Temple  of  Heaven,  and 
the  remainder  of  the  force  advanced  along  the  main  east 
and  west  street  of  the  city,  more  than  half  the  way  to  its 
centre,  when  they  turned  north  in  the  direction  of  the 
water-gate,  in  accordance  with  the  advice  previously 
quoted  in  a letter  from  Sir  Claude  MacDonald  to  the 
Commander  of  the  Allied  Forces.  When  the  British 
advance  emerged  from  the  houses  to  the  south  of  the 
canal,  at  some  distance  from  the  water-gate,  there  were 
still  Chinese  riflemen  posted  at  the  Ha  Ta  gate  to  the 
east,  who  opened  an  ill-directed  and  ineffectual  fire.  The 


FROM  TAKU  TO  RELIEF  OF  PEKING  461 


first  officer  to  enter  through  the  gate  was  Major  Scott,  of 
the  1st  Sikhs,  accompanied  by  four  of  his  men,  with 
Capt.  Pell,  and  Lieut.  Keyes,  Aides  to  Gen.  Gaselee,  who 
with  his  staff  was  close  behind. 

From  the  water-gate  by  way  of  the  Russian  Legation 
(the  only  safe  route)  to  the  British  Legation,  was  but 
a few  minutes’  walk,  where  the  deliverers  were  welcomed 
with  an  outburst  of  joy,  which  to  those  who  experienced 
it  can  never  be  other  than  a vivid  recollection  while  life 
itself  lasts. 

The  Siege  in  Peking  was  raised ! Once  more  the 
Occidental  had  met  the  Oriental  in  a face  to  face 
death  struggle,  and  by  means  of  intrepid  resourceful- 
ness, indomitable  perseverance  in  the  face  of  obstacles, 
supreme  courage  confronting  deadly  dangers,  and  the 
Superintending  Providence  of  God,  had  been  victorious. 
It  was  the  dawning  Twentieth  Century  victorious  against 
the  Middle  Ages,  a potentially  glorious  Future  vanquish- 
ing an  inert  and  lifeless  Past.  In  it  was  the  seed  of  a 
New  China,  and  Plope  for  the  Far  East. 


XXV 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS 

TECHNICALLY  speaking,  the  Siege  in  Peking 
was  over,  although  much  still  remained  to  be 
done  to  render  the  relief  effective.  Before  add- 
ing anything  on  that  head  it  may  be  well  at  this  point  to 
mention  in  somewhat  fuller  detail,  a topic  to  which  no 
justice  has  yet  been  done,  but  which  can  not  be  omitted 
altogether — siege  house-keeping. 

Under  the  abnormal  conditions  of  the  siege,  the  exi- 
gencies of  domestic  life  (if  such  a thing  could  be  said 
to  exist)  deserve  to  be  depicted  by  a woman's  pen. 
Every  building  on  the  grounds  was  crowded,  sometimes 
almost  to  the  point  of  suffocation.  The  mess  of  Lady 
MacDonald  was  generally  about  thirty-five  in  number, 
and  the  whole  establishment  was  literally  turned  inside 
out  for  the  benefit  of  the  besieged  ; Sir  Claude's  office  and 
library  became  a hospital,  the  smoking-room  was  occu- 
pied by  gentlemen  by  night,  and  the  ball-room  by  ladies, 
while  for  weary  officers  there  was,  during  the  day,  an 
overflow  into  the  sleeping  apartments  of  the  ladies  of  the 
house.  It  would  have  been  difficult  to  suggest  anything 
for  the  comfort  of  the  sick,  or  for  the  welfare  of  the 
besieged,  which  was  not  promoted  by  the  administrators 
of  this  hospitable  establishment. 

The  quarters  of  the  legation  doctor,  ordinarily  occu- 
pied in  the  summer  by  one  European,  or  at  most  two, 
suddenly  became  the  abode  of  eight  and  twenty  men, 

462 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS 


463 


women  and  children,  distributed  into  four  different 
messes.  Their  servants’  quarters  absolutely  swarmed 
with  Chinese,  and  the  minute  back  yard  was  always  over- 
flowing with  eager  candidates  for  participation  in  the 
next  kettle  of  rice,  always  just  about  ready  for  distribu- 
tion. 

The  Customs  mess  (in  the  Escort  quarters)  was  of 
variable  size,  the  number  ranging  between  thirty  and 
forty,  and  as  the  dining-room  was  small  it  was  neces- 
sary to  serve  the  meals  to  five  different  detachments, 
when  all  were  on  hand.  But  a large  part — perhaps  one- 
half — were  members  of  the  Customs  volunteers,  assigned 
to  duty  in  various  parts  of  the  defences,  oftenest  in  the 
Su  Wang  Fu,  for  a period  of  twenty-four  hours  at  a 
time.  Food  had  then  to  be  sent  over  to  them  three  times 
a day.  This  greatly  augmented  the  care  of  so  large  a 
family,  yet  two  capable  English  ladies  ably  and  success- 
fully managed  it  all. 

The  number  of  American  missionaries  who  came  in 
from  the  Methodist  compound  was  about  seventy.  They 
were  assigned  to  the  occupancy  of  the  church,  a rectan- 
gular structure  situated  near  the  median  line  of  the  com- 
pound, measuring  forty-three  feet  in  length  by  twenty- 
five  in  width.  On  each  side  of  the  entry  was  a small 
closet,  and  one  of  these  was  provided  with  a winding  stair- 
case to  the  loft.  The  rear  of  the  audience  room  was 
occupied  by  a platform,  surrounded  by  an  altar-rail  and 
furnished  with  a lectern.  Passages  on  each  side  led  to 
the  small  robing-room  in  the  rear.  Most  of  the  available 
space  in  the  main  room  was  absorbed  by  more  than  a 
dozen  large  wooden  seats,  each  with  a book  support  in 
front. 

Trunks  of  all  sizes  were  piled  at  the  entrance,  and  out- 
side under  the  projecting  eaves.  The  mattresses  were 


464 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


spread  for  the  night  wherever  there  was  room,  the  dispo- 
sition for  sleeping  much  resembling  the  ground  plan  of 
a box  of  sardines.  Some  of  the  gentlemen  found  tempo- 
rary and  precarious  lodgment  on  the  edges  of  one  of  the 
pavilions,  and  later,  as  already  mentioned,  in  the  smoking- 
room  of  the  Minister’s  house.  The  two  closets  on  each 
side  of  the  entrance  were  soon  cleared  out  and  turned 
into  wash-rooms,  every  superfluous  article  being  relegated 
to  the  loft. 

At  a later  stage  this  attic  was  itself  transformed  from 
a lumber  room  into  a dormitory.  A high  platform  in  the 
middle  (representing  the  arch  in  the  ceiling  of  the 
church)  and  the  surrounding  spaces  in  front,  in  the 
rear,  and  on  either  side,  were  found  choked  with  the 
accumulation  of  the  entire  Legation  for  decades.  Among 
the  mass  may  be  mentioned  the  balls  and  pins  of  the 
bowling-alley,  huge  packing-cases,  iron  bed-steads  with- 
out their  ropes,  scores  of  windows  used  for  winter  fittings 
to  the  dwelling-houses,  punkah  fans,  shelves,  trunks, 
boxes,  relics  of  the  Queen’s  Jubilee  in  the  shape  of  trans- 
parencies, lanterns  by  the  hundred,  theatre  scenery,  rush- 
mats,  reed-screens,  cubic  yards  of  copies  of  the  some- 
what useless  treaty  between  Great  Britain  and  China, 
and  piles  of  legation  archives  and  accounts,  running 
back  to  the  ancient  days  of  the  East  India  Company, — 
all  profusely  decorated  with  hoary  cob-webs  accumulated 
under  successive  ministries. 

Under  the  energetic  superintendence  of  a few  gentle- 
men and  ladies,  much  of  this  material  was  removed  else- 
where, leaving  space  for  narrow  bed-rooms  in  which 
nearly  twenty  persons  found  much  better  accommodation 
than  had  been  before  available.  The  loft  was  built  to 
conform  to  the  general  Chinese  architecture  of  the  Lega- 
tion, having  windows  upon  the  east  side  only,  making  a 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS 


465 


circulation  of  air  an  impossibility — a circumstance  little 
adapted  to  promote  comfort  in  the  heats  of  July.  Yet 
despite  a due  allowance  of  sand-flies,  fleas,  and  mosqui- 
toes, it  was  discovered  that  the  inconveniences  almost 
amounted  to  luxuries,  and  by  mutual  exchange  of  quar- 
ters the  sick  and  the  weary  could  always  find  some  haven 
of  comparative  rest  and  quiet. 

The  small  room  in  the  rear  of  the  church,  already  men- 
tioned, was  made  to  do  duty  as  the  only  store-room  for 
such  provisions  as  had  been  gathered,  or  at  any  later 
period  turned  up.  At  first  even  a part  of  this  was  used 
as  a ladies’  bath-room,  which  was  replaced  later  by  the 
little  lamp-room  at  the  front  entrance.  Sergeant  Herring 
obligingly  gave  the  mess  his  own  kitchen — a tiny  one  at 
the  back  of  his  quarters,  with  a small  Chinese  range — • 
and  had  his  own  meals  prepared  on  a Chinese  stove  on 
the  door-step,  or  wherever  he  might  be. 

In  the  effort  to  get  all  the  needed  articles  cooked  at 
once  on  this  minute  range,  the  cooks  were  forced  to 
exert  themselves  to  the  utmost,  every  hour  of  the  day. 
A small  kerosene  stove  and  a little  spirit  lamp  were  in 
constant  use  as  accessories,  but  as  there  was  no  oven  it 
was  only  possible  to  bake  biscuit  in  a kerosene  tin.  To 
get  quantities  of  food  cooked  at  one  time  under  such 
conditions,  without  perpetually  having  some  of  it 
scorched,  would  appear  out  of  the  question — yet  it  was 
accomplished. 

One  of  the  greatest  and  most  serious  perplexities,  suffi- 
cient to  drive  an  Occidental  cook  to  complete  distraction, 
was  the  incessant  demand  upon  the  kitchen  for  hot  water. 
It  was  wanted  for  cooking  the  regular  meals,  it  was 
called  for  by  the  occupants  of  the  house  to  which  the 
kitchen  belonged,  by  the  marines,  by  the  mothers  of  sick 
babies,  and  by  the  Chinese  ad  libitum.  Fortunately  two 


466 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


large  braziers  were  brought,  which  materially  relieved 
the  pressure  on  the  kitchen,  so  that  tea,  coffee,  and  a 
certain  amount  of  hot  water  could  be  provided  near  to 
the  church — the  kitchen  being  distant  from  it  half  the 
width  of  the  Legation  compound.  It  is  to  be  borne  in 
mind  that  while  many  were  able  to  drink  the  water  from 
the  principal  wells  without  even  filtering,  perhaps  half 
of  the  company  were  less  fortunate,  and  had  to  be  sup- 
plied with  that  which  had  been  thoroughly  boiled. 

The  indispensable  utensils  for  cooking  on  a large  scale 
were  happily  provided  from  the  stock  distributed  by  the 
owners  of  the  foreign  stores.  Yet  the  provision  was  far 
from  complete.  There  was  a great  lack  of  large  dishes, 
and  it  was  sometimes  necessary  to  soak  beans,  or  to  make 
biscuit,  in  a wash-bowl.  The  dishes  must  often  be 
washed  in  cold  water,  when  there  was  no  other.  For  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  first  contingent  of  about 
thirty-two  persons  were  summoned  to  breakfast  at  6.30, 
and  must  finish  their  meal  and  make  way  for  the  second 
section,  who  at  no  long  interval  gave  way  to  the  third. 
(Later  the  three  divisions  were  condensed  into  two.) 

Sideboards  for  this  large  company  there  were  none, 
except  the  altar,  and  all  the  surfaces — seats,  book-rests, 
window-sills — were  uniformly  aslant,  affording  no  sup- 
port for  crockery,  which  had  to  be  continually  passed  out 
through  the  window  to  be  rewashed,  a task  of  some 
difficulty  during  the  frequent  heavy  rains.  A similar 
embarrassment  was  felt  on  rainy  days,  in  drying  the  dish- 
cloths, the  supply  of  which  never  seemed  to  run  short, 
being  mysteriously  recruited  from  odds  and  ends  which 
turned  up  (table-cloths  and  napkins  being  practically 
and  happily  unknown). 

All  this  unceasing  round  of  work  was  carried  on  by 
three  different  sets  of  cooks  and  servants,  each  of  which 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS 


467 


had  always  to  hasten  its  work  so  as  to  be  out  of  the  way 
of  the  next  relay ; yet  there  was  never  a quarrel,  and  no 
friction  worthy  of  the  name. 

During  the  height  of  the  rainy  season,  the  only  place 
in  which  to  put  away  food  was  a small  wire-screen  safe, 
about  a foot  and  a half  square — there  was  no  ice-box 
and  no  ice.  A few  rods  distant  was  the  slaughter  place 
for  ponies,  haunted  by  millions  of  flies,  and  the  only  way 
to  keep  meat  from  their  attack  was  to  have  it  always 
covered  with  a cloth — a very  temporary  device  in  the  hot 
damp  days  of  July. 

There  was  a standing  committee  of  three  ladies  who 
planned  the  menu  for  the  three  daily  meals,  and  two 
others — changed  each  day — attended  to  setting  the  tables 
and  saw  that  each  meal  was  ready  on  time.  The  in- 
genuity of  this  committee  in  so  planning  an  extremely 
limited  diet  as  to  make  the  most  of  it,  was  positively 
marvellous, — a housewifery  that  frequently  served  up  the 
flesh  of  tough  mules  so  that  no  one  would  have  suspected 
its  origin,  and  that  made  tasty  puddings  without  milk, 
butter,  or  eggs. 

The  lady  in  charge  of  the  hospital  kitchen  also  showed 
great  skill  in  making  palatable  dishes  for  the  wounded, 
and  if  at  any  time  there  happened  to  be  a little  left  which 
would  have  spoiled  before  the  next  morning,  she  was 
invariably  able  to  make  such  arrangements  as  to  forefend 
that  catastrophe.  Little  committees  of  the  foreign  Chris- 
tian Endeavor  children  busied  themselves  in  carrying 
around  whatever  might  be  left  on  hand,  distributing  to 
those  in  need,  and  to  the  sick  Chinese,  who  were  always 
so  hungry  after  their  perpetual  diet  of  porridge  that  all 
scraps  from  a foreign  table  were  welcomed  with  joy. 

Much  of  the  time  there  were  sick  ones  among  the  mess 
who  could  not  eat  the  coarse  brown  bread  and  the  old 


468 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


yellow  rice,  and  for  such,  whatever  the  stress  of  other 
work,  appetizing  dishes  were  always  ready.  There  were 
also  wan  little  babies,  for  whom  their  mothers  had  to  cook 
in  a passage-way  so  narrow  that  if  one  stooped  down  no 
one  else  could  pass,  and  for  many,  many  nights  these 
tired  mothers  were  kept  awake  by  the  moaning  of  their 
own  infants,  or  perhaps  by  the  cries  of  some  of  the  others, 
for  whom  no  other  place  was  open  and  for  whose  ills 
there  was  no  respite  and  no  help.  In  the  recapitulation, 
all  these  disadvantages  and  inconveniences  appear  most 
formidable,  but  at  the  time  they  were  submitted  to  with 
a patience  and  a courage  which  never  once  failed,  and 
which  was  not  a little  promoted  by  a daily  half-hour  serv- 
ice of  prayer  and  praise  in  which  many  passages  from 
the  Psalms,  the  prophecies,  and  the  epistles,  were  made 
to  become  luminous  with  a new  light,  glowing  like  a 
diamond  in  the  dark. 

Although  this  is  in  no  sense  a military  history  of  the 
Siege  in  Peking,  yet  a few  words  in  regard  to  the  fortifi- 
cations of  the  British  Legation  must  not  be  omitted. 
These  it  may  be  remembered  were  early  in  the  siege 
put  in  charge  of  the  Rev.  F.  D.  Gamewell,  whose  edu- 
cation as  an  engineer  proved  a unique  qualification  for  a 
unique  work.  At  the  request  of  Sir  Claude  MacDonald 
he  also  undertook  in  a few  instances  work  outside  of  the 
area  of  the  Legation  and  its  precincts;  but  this  was 
exceptional. 

The  barricade  on  the  west  side  of  the  Legation  Street 
bridge  was  made  eight  feet  thick,  with  five  feet  of  earth 
intended  to  stop  cannon  balls,  for  which  it  is  probable  it 
would  have  sufficed.  One  of  the  military  engineers  con- 
sidered that  such  an  elaborate  defence,  each  of  the  double 
walls  being  of  the  thickness  named,  was  quite  unneces- 
sary, but  after  the  German  losses  had  become  very  heavy 


GATEWAY  TO  BRITISH  LEGATION,  MOAT  AND  BARRICADE 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS 


469 


he  wished  it  continued.  There  was  a similar  experience 
of  change  in  military  opinion  as  to  the  value  of  thorough- 
going fortifications,  in  the  Mongol  Market,  where  the 
bullets  penetrated  fifteen  and  eighteen  inches  of  rubble — 
or  common  Chinese  wall. 

The  Russian  Legation  was  practically  not  fortified  at 
all,  for  what  reason  it  is  difficult  to  comprehend,  although 
there  were  barricades  in  some  parts  of  the  premises. 

At  the  south  end  of  the  Mongol  Market  lane,  the  barri- 
cade built  was  five  feet  thick,  and  solid.  The  north  and 
south  walls  were  reenforced  so  as  to  be  always  eighteen 
inches  thick,  and  in  no  case  was  dependence  placed  on  a 
single  line  of  bricks,  where  there  are  sure  to  be  many 
cracks,  and  where  there  is  always  a chance  of  penetration 
by  a stray  bullet.  This  reenforcement  continued  up  to  a 
point  opposite  the  house  of  the  First  Secretary.  Beyond 
that  the  outer  line  began  with  a thickness  cf  two  feet. 
The  importance  of  this  was  illustrated  by  the  fact  that 
on  the  very  day  on  which  Mongol  Market  defences 
were  finished  at  11  a.  m.,  by  4 p.  m.  the  Chinese  had 
every  house  opposite  loopholed,  and  twelve  loopholes  in 
a single  building. 

The  ordinary  penetrating  effect  of  the  Mauser  bullets 
on  Chinese  bricks  was  from  one-half  to  three-quarters 
of  an  inch ; but  in  the  case  of  the  Mannlichers  used  dur- 
ing the  closing  days  of  the  siege,  the  damage  was  much 
greater, — the  bullets  leaving  deep  pits,  and  rapidly  cutting 
away  any  wall.  On  the  last  Monday  morning  of  the 
siege  Mr.  Gamewell  was  called  up  to  build  extra  walls 
to  check  this  destructive  and  corrosive  fire. 

The  courts  next  beyond  the  one  last  mentioned  were 
protected  in  the  same  way,  under  constant  attack.  Dur- 
ing all  the  building  of  fortifications,  at  which  probably 
an  average  of  fifty  men  were  employed  every  day  except 


470 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Sunday,  only  one  man  was  killed,  and  that  was  due  to 
his  total  disregard  of  repeated  cautions  not  to  expose 
himself  unnecessarily.  The  barricade  immediately  to  the 
west  of  the  south  stable-court  was  four  feet  in  thickness, 
aside  from  the  outer  yard  wall,  and  was  one  of  the 
strongest  in  the  whole  line,  as  it  was  one  of  the  most 
exposed  to  attack.  It  was  a marvel  that  the  two-storied 
house  in  the  stable-court  did  not  fall.  Behind  the  stable- 
yard  gate  was  a barricade  three  feet  thick  slanting  to  the 
north-west,  and  next  beyond  that  was  a platform  built 
for  the  Italian  gun,  the  wall  being  very  solid,  and  eight 
feet  thick.  The  next  wall  was  twenty  inches  thick,  inde- 
pendent of  the  original  outer  wall,  and  very  strongly  built. 
Beyond  this  was  a sort  of  fort,  with  five  loopholes,  very 
securely  put  up,  and  after  that  a rubble  wall  four  feet 
in  thickness,  reenforced  by  still  another  substantial  wall. 

Further  to  the  north  stood  “ Fort  von  Strauch,”  which 
was  the  situation  of  the  “ International  ” gun  at  the  close 
of  the  siege.  The  gunner,  Mitchell,  stood  behind  it  when 
he  was  wounded,  and  not  to  one  side.  Directly  to  the 
west  of  this,  and  not  more  than  fifty  feet  distant,  was  the 
Chinese  barricade.  Still  further  beyond  is  a court  which 
is  directly  under  the  wall  of  the  Carriage  Park. 

The  death  of  the  marine  who  was  killed  at  the  stable- 
court  early  in  the  siege  first  called  the  attention  of  the 
military  men  to  the  need  of  sand  bags.  Before  that  time 
they  said  they  had  enough,  but  it  was  discovered  later 
that  the  director  of  the  work  of  fortification  was  right 
in  his  consistent  declaration  that  there  would  never  be 
enough  of  them  until  the  relief  column  reached  the  Lega- 
tion. After  a time  every  officer  was  converted  to  the 
value  of  sand  bags,  and  made  frequent  and  liberal  calls 
for  them. 

Behind  the  Students’  Library  a deep  trench  was  dug  as 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS 


471 


a countermine,  between  ten  and  twelve  feet  deep,  and  only 
ten  inches  from  the  wall  of  a two-storied  building  whose 
foundations  were  only  three  or  four  feet  below  the  ground. 
Digging  this  trench  was  at  great  risk  of  undermining  the 
building,  but  the  risk  of  being  blown  up  was  also  a 
serious  one,  and  it  was  risk  against  risk.  The  trench 
was  not  absolutely  continuous,  but  the  main  sections  were 
connected  by  cavities  which  went  from  one  to  the  other, 
or  as  nearly  so  as  the  roots  of  a large  tree  would  allow. 
It  was  almost  certain  that  this  digging  would  have  de- 
tected any  Chinese  mine,  as  it  was  12  feet  deep,  and  at 
that  time  of  year  the  water  line  was  thought  to  be  about 
13  feet.  In  the  first  court  of  the  Hanlin  a countermine 
was  begun  which  extended  some  distance  into  the  Car- 
riage Park,  but  it  was  discontinued  as  superfluous,  and 
was  a standing  jest  for  a long  time. 

In  the  Hanlin  grounds  the  line  of  defence  was  at  first 
weak.  The  second  line,  however,  had  a two  foot  brick 
wall  very  strongly  propped,  and  reenforced  to  stand  ar- 
tillery fire.  Being  short  of  bricks,  the  workmen  used  a 
great  number  of  the  wooden  plates  of  books,  mostly 
poetical  works  in  the  Hanlin  Library.  From  this  point 
eastward  to  the  north  stable-court  the  whole  line  of 
wall  was  likewise  reenforced  for  withstanding  artillery, 
and  there  was  a trench  12  feet  deep  just  behind  the  de- 
fence for  the  whole  length. 

In  case  this  should  have  been  rushed  by  the  Chinese, 
the  pavilion  immediately  to  the  rear  had  a loophole 
three  and  a half  feet  in  thickness  to  enfilade  the  enemy. 
This  pavilion,  itself,  by  the  way,  was  perforated  with  solid 
shot  from  the  batteries  on  the  Imperial  City  wall,  seven 
shots  striking  within  the  space  of  ten  feet.  One  of 
them  went  through  a heavy  post,  16  inches  in  diameter, 
and  shattered  one  of  the  marble  tablets  let  into  the 


472 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


wall.  The  book-cases  of  the  Hanlin  had  been  set  up  in 
the  yard,  and  covered  with  tar-paper  simply  as  covering- 
screens,  so  that  the  Chinese  should  not  be  able  to  detect 
the  movements  of  the  defence.  A smaller  pavilion  in 
front  was  loopholed  to  prevent  the  approach  of  the  enemy 
unseen,  and  there  was  a second  strong  line  of  defence 
behind.  The  larger  of  the  two  pavilions  (called  the  Clung 
I T’ing)  was  named  “ Fort  Strouts.”  Another  smaller 
one  to  the  north  was  loopholed  in  the  same  manner. 

At  the  east  end  of  the  Hanlin  the  artillery  defences 
were  carried  up  two-thirds  of  the  way  to  the  top,  but 
were  never  wholly  completed.  The  most  eastern  of  the 
fortified  positions  was  styled  “ Fort  Oliphant.”  Immedi- 
ately in  front  of  this  the  defences  were  very  strong,  con- 
sisting of  an  enormously  thick  wall,  eight  feet  through  at 
the  base,  and  a trench  13  feet  in  depth.  The  steps  up 
to  the  elevated  sentry-posts  were  made  of  the  wooden 
cases  which  when  found  contained  the  great  Ming  Dy- 
nasty Encyclopaedia,  “ Yung  Le  Ta  Tien  ”,  but  were  now 
packed  solidly  with  earth.  The  strength  of  the  Hanlin 
position  as  finally  fortified  was  great,  and  if  the  Chinese 
had  been  able  to  screw  up  their  courage  to  the  point  of 
a desperate  charge,  the  positions  could  have  been  cap- 
tured only  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  and  with  the  sacri- 
fice of  a great  number  of  lives,  for  which  happily  they 
were  at  no  time  quite  prepared. 

The  defences  of  the  eastern  side  of  the  Legation  (the 
Flanlin  being  on  the  north)  received  perhaps  more  labor- 
ious consideration  than  those  of  any  other  quarter. 
On  the  29th  of  June — only  nine  days  after  the  siege  be- 
gan— Col.  Shiba  informed  Sir  Claude  that  at  the  outside 
he  should  not  be  able  to  hold  the  Su  Wang  Fu  more  than 
two  or  three  days  longer.  Sir  Claude  communicated  to 
Mr.  Gamewell  the  information,  with  the  comment,  “ You 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS 


473 


should  know  this.”  The  result  was  a most  elaborate  plan 
of  defence  which  was  a surprise  alike  to  Chinese  and  to 
foreigners,  who  were  perpetually  asking  “ What  is  the 
use  of  all  this  work  ? ” The  use  was  to  guard  the  Brit- 
ish Legation  at  its  weakest  point,  in  case  the  Su  Wang 
Fu  should  be  abandoned,  and  the  Chinese  should  plant 
artillery  on  the  high  mounds  of  the  Flower  Garden  be- 
longing to  the  Fu,  which  was  separated  from  the  Lega- 
tion only  by  the  width  of  the  canal  road.  The  Chinese 
would  have  been  able  to  mount  guns  within  fifty  yards 
(or  less)  of  the  residence  of  the  British  Minister,  and  it 
was  difficult  to  see  how  any  part  of  the  Legation  grounds 
could  have  then  been  held  for  an  hour. 

The  fortifications  by  way  of  defence  against  this 
danger  began  at  the  end  of  the  north  stable-court,  and 
extended  in  an  unbroken  line  to  the  Escort  Quarters,  a 
little  north  of  the  main  gate  of  the  Legation.  The  post 
on  the  roof  of  the  cow-house  at  the  north  end  was  a 
very  strong  position,  and  a very  exposed  one,  being  much 
nearer  to  the  batteries  on  the  wall  of  the  Imperial  City 
than  any  other,  as  well  as  close  to  the  enemy’s  positions 
which  attacked  the  northern  end  of  the  Fu.  The  wall  of 
the  stables  themselves  on  the  canal  front  was  about  fifteen 
inches  thick,  and  with  great  labour  this  was  reenforced 
by  a wall  five  feet  thick,  strongly  braced  both  at  top  and 
bottom  throughout  its  whole  length.  At  the  upper  end 
of  the  stable-court  there  were  countermines,  lest  the 
Chinese  should  attempt  to  blow  up  the  post.  The  tunnel 
was  run  to  the  west  about  five  feet,  thence  north  twenty- 
five  feet,  and  then  east  the  same  distance,  but  no  sign 
or  sound  of  Chinese  mines  was  found,  and  the  very  ex- 
istence of  the  countermines  was  not  generally  known. 
From  the  stables  to  the  Escort  quarters  the  same  plan  of 
defence  against  possible  cannonading  was  pursued 


474 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


throughout, — thick  and  high  walls  made  of  earth  well 
rammed  down,  and  stoutly  braced  by  the  heaviest  avail- 
able timbers  against  the  buildings  opposite  at  every  point. 

The  cannon  balls  and  shells  of  the  enemy  received  on 
this  side  did  much  damage.  One  of  the  three  brick  col- 
umns in  the  second  story  veranda  of  the  Minister’s  house 
was  knocked  down  into  the  yard  below,  but  extra  posts 
were  put  in  under  the  supports  of  the  roof,  so  that  it 
did  not  give  way.  On  the  last  night  of  the  siege  one  of 
the  smaller  roofs  of  a room  adjacent  to  a bed-room  in  the 
Minister’s  house  was  crushed  in  by  a shell,  as  already 
mentioned,  but  the  injury  throughout  the  siege  from  this 
source  was  surprisingly  small. 

The  discerning  reader  will  perceive  that,  amid  so  many 
military  men  at  a time  of  such  peculiar  strain,  the  task 
of  a civilian  charged  with  one  of  the  most  important 
duties  of  the  defence,  was  one  of  peculiar  difficulty  and 
delicacy.  The  sense  of  responsibility  was  at  times  al- 
most overwhelming,  and,  aside  from  sometimes  working 
twenty  hours  a day,  the  necessity  of  having  the  most 
discouraging  military  secrets  confidentially  imparted  was 
enough  to  wear  out  the  constitution  of  one  in  the  most 
robust  health. 

Perhaps  in  no  other  order  throughout  the  entire  siege 
did  Sir  Claude  MacDonald  exhibit  to  better  advantage 
sterling  good  sense,  than  in  placing  Mr.  Gamewell  in 
a position  absolutely  free  from  military  interference  of 
any  kind,  with  responsibility  to  the  Commander  in  Chief 
only.  When  this  fact  was  thoroughly  established,  all 
occasion  for  friction  disappeared,  and  the  civil  and  the 
military  defence  dove-tailed  into  one  another  in  an  ad- 
mirable and  most  effective  way.  At  the  close  of  the 
siege  Mr.  Gamewell  received  a cordial  letter  from  Sir 
Claude  acknowledging  the  common  obligations  to  him 


THE  SIX  “FIGHTING  PARSONS”  AND 
SERGEANT  MURPHY  AT  FORT  COCKBURN 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS 


475 


for  his  services,  and  Mr.  Conger  in  a similar  note  justly 
added  that  “ to  you  more  than  to  any  other  man  we 
owe,  under  God,  our  preservation.’’  A few  days  after  the 
relief  forces  arrived,  one  of  the  British  subjects  who 
had  been  through  the  siege  took  occasion  to  ask  Gen. 
Gaselee  what  he  thought  of  “our  infant  fortifications?’’ 
Gen.  Gaselee  replied  that  he  was  greatly  surprised  at  the 
extent  and  the  effectiveness  of  the  defence  conducted,  and 
especially  with  the  amount  of  work  done  in  the  time  at 
the  disposal  of  the  besieged ; and  that  the  fortifications 
and  everything  connected  with  the  defence  were  “ beyond 
all  praise.” 

In  the  official  report  of  the  events  connected  with  the 
siege  of  the  Legations,  Sir  Claude  MacDonald  states  that 
an  important  effort  to  betray  the  Legations  was  only  dis- 
covered after  they  had  been  relieved.  “ Among  some 
documents  seized  by  the  German  troops  was  found  a letter 
addressed  to  the  General  commanding  at  the  Ha  Ta 
gate  on  the  subject  of  mines.  The  writer  had  been  a 
teacher  at  the  British  Legation  in  the  employ  of  Her 
Majesty’s  Government  for  four  years,  and  was  well  known 
to  the  student  interpreters ; together  with  all  other  teach- 
ers he  disappeared  about  the  middle  of  June.  The  letter 
was  dated  the  beginning  of  July,  and  pointed  out  that 
the  General’s  methods  of  attacking  the  Legation  were 
faulty,  and  were  bound  to  lead  to  considerable  loss  in  the 
future  as  they  had  done  in  the  past.  The  proper  method 
of  attack,  the  writer  said,  was  by  mining;  to  assist  the 
General  in  his  attack  he  enclosed  a correct  plan  of  the 
British  Legation,  with  which  he  was  well  acquainted, 
and  marked  on  the  plan  the  most  suitable  place  for  the 
mine  to  be  driven.  Eager  inquiries  have  been  made,  since 
the  siege  was  raised,  for  the  writer  of  the  letter,  but  as 
yet  he  has  not  been  found.”  The  fact  that  with  such  de- 


476 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


tailed  treachery  as  this  freely  offered  to  the  Chinese,  they 
failed  to  drive  a single  mine  under  any  part  of  the  long 
front  of  the  British  Legation,  adds  one  more  to  the 
already  long  list  of  surprises  connected  with  the  defence. 

In  view  of  the  supreme  importance  of  the  subject  it 
may  be  worth  while  to  devote  a little  space  to  a brief 
summary  of  some  of  the  foregoing  aspects  of  the  defence 
of  the  Legations,  by  a competent  military  authority,  Lieut. 
Col.  Scott-Moncrieff,  of  the  Royal  Engineers,  who  con- 
tributed an  article  on  the  subject  to  the  “ Royal  Engineers 
Journal  ” (April,  1901.)  Only  a few  points  can  be  se- 
lected. The  reader  is  indebted  to  him  for  the  excellent 
map  of  the  defences  which  accompanies  this  volume. 

“ The  first  thing  which  strikes  one  on  looking  at  the 
plan  of  the  whole  defensive  position  is  the  enormous 
number  of  buildings  crowded  together  on  the  ground. 
Even  in  this  respect  the  plan  comes  short  of  the  truth, 
for  if  the  houses  had  all  been  actually  drawn  it  would 
have  added  to  the  confused  mass  of  buildings  shown,  in 
such  a way  as  to  obscure  essential  points. 

“ Some  of  the  Legation  compounds  and  yards  have 
many  trees  standing  in  them.  The  trees  were  both  a 
help  and  a hindrance  to  the  besieged.  They  obscured  the 
look-out,  tended  to  spread  conflagration  when  a fire  broke 
out,  and  falling  branches  were  often  a source  of  danger; 
but  they  afforded  some  protection,  and  prevented  the 
enemy  from  seeing  in.  The  massive  and  heavy  roofs  of 
the  Chinese  buildings  though  giving  considerable  com- 
mand were  not  much  taken  advantage  of  by  the  assailants. 
The  two-storied  houses  in  the  Legation,  though  heavily 
bombarded,  acted  most  efficiently  as  traverses,  so  that  it 
was  quite  possible  to  move  about  freely  inside  the  de- 
fended area.  This  was  very  much  noticed  by  the  relieving 
force  when  they  entered.  The  noise  of  the  musketry  and 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS 


477 


machine  guns  was  incessant,  projectiles  of  all  sorts  were 
whistling  overhead,  yet  on  the  lawn-tennis  court  of  the 
British  Legation  ladies  were  moving  about  so  freely  that 
it  was  like  a garden-party.  The  defences  of  the  British 
Legation  were,  by  all  consent,  the  strongest  and  best  of 
any  of  the  works  in  any  part  of  the  position.  The  engi- 
neer who  devised  and  superintended  them  was  an  Ameri- 
can missionary,  the  Rev.  F.  D.  Gamewell.  Fie  was  one 
of  a considerable  number  of  American  missionaries  who 
were  sheltered  during  the  siege  in  the  Chapel  of  the 
British  Legation,  and  whose  skill  in  organization  and 
cheerful  energy  contributed  largely  to  the  comfort  and 
well-being  of  the  garrison. 

“ There  were  no  engineers,  military  or  civil,  among  the 
garrison  of  the  British  Legation.  Mr.  Gamewell  made 
it  his  business  to  be  always  working  at  and  improving 
the  defences.  Walls  liable  to  artillery  fire  were  strength- 
ened and  strutted.  Walls  supporting  roofs,  or  in  any  way 
doubtful,  were  propped  and  buttressed,  traverses  were 
made  in  every  possible  passage,  openings  and  communica- 
tions were  made  freely  throughout  the  defensive  line, 
barricades  and  flanking  caponiers  were  made  in  every 
place  where  it  was  possible  they  might  be  needed,  deep 
trenches  were  sunk  across  every  part  where  the  enemy 
might  be  expected  to  mine,  the  upper  stories  of  houses 
were  barricaded,  loopholed  and  strengthened,  and  above 
all  in  every  place  ample  head  cover  was  given  to  the  firing 
line,  so  that  only  as  much  of  the  man  as  came  opposite 
the  loophole  was  exposed. 

“ On  the  west  of  the  British  Legation  in  one  of  the 
large  sheds  of  the  Imperial  Carriage  Park,  the  enemy  be- 
gan a mine,  the  failure  of  which  is  very  instructive.  They 
started  in  the  direction  of  a strong  barricade  and  breast- 
work inside  of  our  works  in  the  Hanlin.  They  were 


478 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


heard  at  work,  and  a countermine  was  started,  which 
however,  did  not  go  far.  The  enemy  apparently  heard 
the  countermine,  and  changed  direction  to  their  right, 
heading  for  the  Students’  Quarters,  a double-storied 
building  close  to  the  boundary  wall.  They  seem  to  have 
lost  their  bearings,  and  kept  edging  off  to  the  right,  so 
that  they  worked  round  in  an  almost  complete  semi-circle, 
and  ultimately  were  heading  away  from  their  objective. 
This  was  afterward  discovered,  when,  after  the  relief 
was  accomplished  the  mine  was  opened.  It  was  found 
that  the  atmosphere  in  the  mine  was  so  foul  that  it  was 
impossible  to  keep  a light  burning,  and  as  the  Chinese 
were  probably  working  in  the  dark,  it  is  little  wonder 
that  they  missed  their  way.  The  difficulty  of  keeping  the 
true  direction  of  a small  mine  gallery,  even  when  one 
has  the  aid  of  lantern  and  compass,  is  well  known,  and 
in  this  case  the  enemy  were  probably  unable  to  use  any 
such  assistance.  Some  empty  powder-boxes  and  powder- 
hose  were  found  in  the  mine,  but  no  charge. 

“ The  last  and  most  furious  assault  on  the  Legations 
was  delivered  on  the  13th  and  14th  of  August,  when  the 
enemy  knew  it  was  their  last  chance.  But  the  defences 
were  sound  and  the  hearts  of  the  defenders  good,  for 
relief  at  last  was  near.  The  closeness  of  the  attack  may 
be  gauged  by  the  fact  that  when  Major  Scott  and  his 
Sikhs,  who  were  the  first  to  enter  the  Legation,  relieved 
the  Marines  of  the  Legation  Guard  at  the  Mongol  Market 
barricades,  and  were  greeted  with  cheers,  they  at  once 
received  a volley  of  brickbats  from  the  enemy  a few 
yards  off ! ” 

It  was  gratifying  intelligence  to  all  who  were  interested 
in  the  work  of  the  siege  and  its  results,  to  know  that  so 
many  who  took  an  active  part  in  it  were  promptly  re- 
warded by  a due  recognition  of  their  services. 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS 


479 


The  last  six  pages  of  the  British  White  Book,  (China 
N.  4,  1900)  are  exclusively  occupied  with  dispatches 
from  Sir  Claude  MacDonald  to  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury, 
calling  attention  to  the  singular  services  of  a great  number 
of  individuals,  both  military  and  civil,  including  almost 
every  nationality.  Among  those  selected  for  honourable 
mention  were  Capt.  Halliday,  already  mentioned,  who 
fought  with  conspicuous  courage  at  close  quarters ; Capt. 
Poole,  who  was  not  absent  from  duty  for  a single  day 
or  night  during  the  whole  55  days ; and  Capt.  Strouts, 
who  was  killed.  The  British  Volunteers,  among  whose 
number  David  Oliphant  and  Henry  Warren  were  killed, 
are  highly  commended. 

Mr.  Dering,  Second  Secretary  of  the  British  Legation 
was  in  charge  of  important  defences.  He  was  always  alert, 
and  had  also  the  difficult  task  of  deciding  what  ponies 
or  mules  should  be  killed  for  food,  each  of  the  owners 
naturally  being  desirous  of  reserving  his  own  as  long 
as  possible.  Mr.  Cockburn,  Chinese  Secretary,  was  both 
a Volunteer,  and  in  charge  of  the  very  important 
correspondence  between  the  British  Minister  and  the 
enemy.  His  house  was  an  especial  target  of  shells  and 
rifle  bullets.  He  was  ably  seconded  by  Mr.  Ker  the  Sec- 
ond Chinese  Secretary.  Capt.  Percy  Smith,  a retired 
officer,  was  especially  useful  on  the  city  wall  in  difficult 
and  dangerous  circumstances.  Mr.  Clarke-Thornhill, 
formerly  of  the  Diplomatic  Service,  was  an  active  and 
willing  Volunteer. 

The  Rev.  Frank  Norris*  Chaplain  of  the  Legation,  ren- 
dered invaluable  services  outside  of  his  especial  duties,  in 
work  with  pick  and  shovel  in  the  trenches  and  on  the 
barricades ; and  also  in  taking  charge  of  and  encouraging 
the  Chinese  converts  in  their  work  on  the  defences.  He 
was  always  ready,  willing,  and  cheerful ; though  severely 


480 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


wounded  by  the  explosion  of  a shell  in  the  Su  Wang 
Fu,  he  stuck  to  his  work,  and  was  at  all  times  a splendid 
example  to  those  about  him. 

Mr.  Tours  of  the  Consular  Staff,  and  Mr.  Tweed  of 
the  Hongkong  and  Shanghai  Bank,  were  indefatigable  as 
captains  of  the  Fire  Brigade,  which  several  times  saved 
the  Legation.  The  former  had  such  arduous  duties  that 
at  the  close  of  the  siege  his  health  gave  way  completely, 
and  for  a long  time  he  hovered  between  life  and  death. 

Dr.  Morrison,  Correspondent  of  “ The  Times  ”,  acted  as 
Lieutenant  to  Capt.  Strouts,  and  rendered  most  valuable 
services.  Active,  energetic,  and  cool,  he  volunteered  for 
every  service  of  danger,  and  was  a pillar  of  strength  when 
matters  were  going  badly.  By  his  severe  wound  on  the 
16th  of  July  his  valuable  services  were  lost  to  the  de- 
fence for  the  rest  of  the  siege. 

All  the  Student  Interpreters  are  warmly  praised.  They 
behaved  with  pluck  and  dash,  yet  a steadiness  under  fire 
worthy  of  veteran  troops.  The  Volunteers  belonging  to 
the  Imperial  Maritime  Customs  likewise  distinguished 
themselves,  and  soon  after  the  siege  received  the  promo- 
tion which  they  had  so  well  earned. 

Mr.  Nigel  Oliphant  took  an  important  part  on  several 
occasions  until  he  was  seriously  wounded,  on  the  18th 
of  July. 

In  another  supplementary  dispatch  Sir  Claude  asks  that 
the  thanks  of  the  British  Government  be  conveyed  to  Lieut. 
Baron  von  Rahden,  of  the  Imperial  Russian  Navy ; Capt. 
Myers,  U.  S.  Marines  (wounded)  ; Lieut.  Darcy,  French 
Navy  (wounded)  ; Lieut.  Baron  von  Soden,  Imperial  Ger- 
man Marines;  Lieut.  Paolini,  Italian  Navy  (wounded); 
and  Lieut.  Hara,  Japanese  Navy.  In  addition  to  these, 
the  skill,  tenacity,  and  courage  of  Lieut.  Col.  Shiba,  of  the 
Japanese  contingent,  are  mentioned  as  worthy  of  all 


Copyright  iuvi,  Fleming  II.  Itevell  ComjKiny. 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS 


48 1 


praise.  His  dispositions  were  taken  with  the  greatest 
skill,  and  he  contested  every  inch  of  ground,  thereby 
giving  time  for  the  defences  of  the  British  Legation  to 
be  put  in  order;  and  as  a direct  effect  of  this  the  lives 
of  very  many  of  the  garrison  were  saved. 

Don  Livio  Caetini,  Second  Secretary  of  the  Italian 
Legation,  is  commended  to  his  Government  for  his  de- 
votion and  ability,  having  never  once  quitted  his  post, 
which  was  a barricade  exposed  to  a very7  severe  shell  and 
rifle  fire.  M.  von  Strauch,  a member  of  the  Imperial 
Maritime  Customs,  formerly  an  officer  of  the  Prussian 
army,  was  in  command  of  the  Customs  Volunteers,  and 
was  of  the  greatest  assistance  to  Sir  Claude,  who  was 
much  struck  by  his  zeal  and  intrepidity.  He  and  Dr. 
Velde  of  the  Hospital  are  especially  commended  to  the 
German  Government.  M.  Fliche,  an  ex-officer  of  the 
French  Cavalry,  was  an  orderly  constantly  under  fire,  and 
for  his  gallantry  was  recommended  to  the  notice  of  the 
French  Government. 

The  United  States  has  few  methods,  aside  from  the 
vote  of  special  thanks  by  Congress,  of  accomplishing  the 
highly  desirable  objects  aimed  at  in  the  decorations  and 
honours  thus  worthily  bestowed.  It  was  therefore  the 
greater  gratification  to  the  besieged  and  their  friends  to 
find  in  Washington  telegrams  of  Jan.  4th,  1901,  the  fol- 
lowing : “ The  British  Ambassador  has  communicated  to 
the  Secretary  of  State  a dispatch  recently  received  by  him 
from  the  Marquis  of  Lansdowne,  commending  the  gallant 
conduct  of  certain  Americans  who  distinguished  them- 
selves last  summer  during  the  attacks  on  the  Legation 
quarter  in  Peking.  The  text  of  the  dispatch  is  as  follows : 

“ My  Lord : With  reference  to  my  preceding  dispatch 
of  this  day’s  date,  I have  to  inform  you  that  Sir  C.  Mac- 


482 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Donald  has  brought  to  my  notice  the  conduct  of  certain 
gentlemen  who  particularly  distinguished  themselves  dur- 
ing the  attacks  on  the  Legation  quarter,  and  who  gave 
invaluable  assistance  both  to  him  personally  and  to  the 
defence  in  general. 

“ Sir  Claude  mentions  the  names  of  the  Rev.  F.  D. 
Gamewell  of  the  American  Methodist  Mission,  and  Her- 
bert G.  Squiers,  Secretary  of  the  U.  S.  Legation.  He  states 
that  the  Rev.  F.  D.  Gamewell  carried  out  the  entire  de- 
fences of  the  British  Legation,  and  that  these  defences 
have  excited  the  admiration  of  the  officers  of  the  various 
nationalities  who  have  since  inspected  them.  As  a tribute 
to  their  excellence  he  mentions  that  notwithstanding  a 
constant  rain  of  rifle-fire  during  the  five  weeks  of  the 
siege,  not  a single  woman  or  child  in  the  Legation  suf- 
fered. He  adds  that  a deep  debt  of  gratitude  is  owed  to 
him  by  all  the  besieged. 

“ Herbert  Squiers  acted  in  the  capacity  of  Sir  Claude’s 
Chief-of-Staff  after  the  death  of  Captain  Strouts  of  the 
Royal  Marines.  Sir  Claude  says  that  his  earlier  services 
in  the  United  States  army  were  of  great  use  in  the  de- 
fence, and  that  he  can  not  speak  too  highly  of  his  zeal  and 
ability.  The  barricades  on  the  Tartar  wall  were  designed 
and  carried  out  by  him,  and  under  Sir  Claude’s  orders  he 
drew  the  plan  for  the  entry  of  the  troops  which  was 
conveyed  to  Gen.  Gaselee  by  a messenger  let  down  from 
the  wall. 

“ I request  that  you  will  bring  the  names  of  these  two 
gentlemen  to  the  favourable  notice  of  the  United  States 
Government,  and  express  the  appreciation  felt  by  Her 
Majesty’s  Government  of  their  eminent  services. 

(Signed)  Lansdowne.” 

This  series  of  graceful  recognitions  of  merit  is  fitly 


THE  FORTIFICATIONS 


483 


concluded  by  the  following  dispatch  to  Sir  Claude  Mac- 
Donald, published  in  the  White  Book  relating  to  the 
siege  in  Peking. 


Foreign  Office,  Feb.  10th,  1901. 

“ As  the  present  report  completes  your  account  of  the 
siege  and  relief  of  the  Legations,  I desire  to  take  this 
opportunity  of  stating  how  highly  His  Majesty’s  Govern- 
ment value  these  admirable  and  exhaustive  records  of  an 
episode  of  the  deepest  historical  interest.  The  gallantry 
with  which  the  siege  was  maintained  by  all  the  foreign 
forces  engaged,  more  especially  after  the  failure  of  the 
first  relief  expedition,  and  the  consequent  disappointment 
of  the  besieged,  coupled  with  the  energy  and  courage  with 
which  the  efforts  of  the  regular  forces  were  seconded  by 
the  Legation  Staffs  and  other  civilians,  has  commanded 
the  admiration  of  the  wThole  civilized  world. 

“ His  Majesty’s  Government  desire  also  to  place  on 
record  their  appreciation  of  the  important  part  borne  by 
yourself  throughout  this  crisis.  On  the  22nd  of  June  at 
the  request  of  your  colleagues  you  took  charge  of  the 
defence,  a position  for  which  from  your  military  train- 
ing you  possessed  exceptional  qualifications;  and  from 
that  day  you  continued  to  direct  the  operations  of  the 
garrison  until  the  relief  took  place  on  the  14th  of  August. 

“ Information  has  reached  His  Majesty’s  Government 
from  various  sources  that  the  success  of  the  defence  was 
largely  due  to  your  personal  efforts,  and  more  particularly 
to  the  unity  and  cohesion  which  you  found  means  of  estab- 
lishing and  maintaining  among  the  forces  of  so  many 
different  nationalities  operating  over  an  extended  area. 
Competent  eye-witnesses  have  expressed  the  opinion  that 
if  it  can  be  said  that  the  European  community  owe  their 
lives  to  any  one  man  more  than  another,  where  so  many 


484 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


distinguished  themselves,  it  is  to  you  that  they  are  in- 
debted for  their  safety. 

“ I can  not  conclude  this  dispatch  without  asking  you 
to  convey  to  Lady  MacDonald  the  thanks  of  His  Majesty’s 
Government  for  her  unceasing  and  devoted  attention  to 
the  welfare  of  the  sick  and  wounded.  Her  work  and 
that  of  the  ladies  who  assisted  her  have  earned  the  last- 
ing gratitude  not  only  of  those  who  were  benefited  by 
her  ministrations,  but  also  of  their  relatives  in  Europe 
who  were  kept  for  so  many  weeks  in  a condition  of  most 
painful  anxiety  and  suspense. 


Lansdowne.” 


XXVI 


AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


HEN  the  relieving  columns  marched  into  the 
Peking  Legations  they  received  a glad  wel- 
come from  all  the  besieged,  who  had  been  look- 


ing for  their  coming  with  such  mingled  fears  and  hopes. 
But  it  was  soon  evident  from  the  bearing  of  the  rescuers, 
as  well  as  from  their  remarks,,  that  they  were  considerably 
disappointed  in  us.  They  found  a large  number  of  gentle- 
men and  ladies  going  about  as  they  would  have  done 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  except  that  many  of  them 
were  on  sentry  duty.  The  specific  occasion  of  the  disap- 
pointment felt  and  expressed  seemed  to  be  that  the  be- 
sieged did  not  look  sufficiently  pinched  with  hunger,  and 
that  some  of  them — especially  the  ladies — were  far  too 
well  dressed,  and  met  the  relieving  army  with  glad  smiles 
and  cheers,  instead  of  bursting  into  hysterical  sobs.  As 
one  of  the  bright  young  women  phrased  it,  “ they  seem 
to  have  expected  to  find  us  lying  gasping  on  the  ground.” 
Several  of  the  besieged  were  only  visitors  in  Peking 
who  had  been  caught  in  the  effort  to  leave  on  the  very 
day  when  trains  finally  ceased  to  run,  and  these  ladies, 
at  least,  had  lost  none  of  their  belongings.  All  the  rest, 
however,  displayed  the  singular  feminine  talent  for  mak- 
ing a little  go  a great  way  in  dress,  as  they  had  done 
in  food,  and  even  under  the  most  depressing  circum- 
stances of  lack  of  changes  of  raiment,  of  persistently  rainy 
weather  and  absence  of  all  ordinary  facilities  for  washing 


485 


486 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


clothes,  not  to  say  for  starching  and  ironing,  often  blos- 
somed out  in  attire  which  showed  no  signs  of  hard  usage 
or  of  age. 

All  the  ladies  alike  appeared  to  rise  to  the  occasion  in 
a way  to  make  one  proud  of  the  civilization  of  the  West, 
which  has  found  so  large  a place  for  the  energy  and 
the  diversified  talent  of  the  fair  sex.  The  wives  of  the 
American  and  the  Russian  Ministers  were  especially  as- 
siduous in  working  for  the  comfort  of  those  who  were 
wounded  and  in  the  hospital,  giving  up  anything  and 
everything  for  their  comfort.  When  the  detail  for  clean- 
ing the  hospital  failed  to  appear,  Madame  de  Giers  one 
day  seized  the  mop  herself  and  more  than  made  good  his 
place. 

Many  of  the  women,  through  the  entire  siege,  were 
quite  as  cool  and  as  courageously  hopeful  as  the  men. 
During  the  severest  attacks  they  sat  diligently  working 
on  the  sand  bags  without  pause,  nor  was  there  ever  any- 
thing in  the  smallest  degree  approximating  a panic.  Noth- 
ing at  the  time  (nor  in  subsequent  calm  review)  appeared 
more  surprising  than  the  cool  way  in  which  everything 
about  the  siege  was  taken  as  a matter  of  course,  and  the 
facility  with  which  the  necessary  adjustments  were  swiftly 
and  tactfully  made  by  all  the  women  alike,  and  pre- 
eminently by  those  who  chanced  to  have  any  especial  re- 
sponsibility placed  upon  them. 

During  the  whole  of  the  siege  the  numerous  children 
played  about  the  grounds,  and  seldom  with  any  restraint 
upon  their  movements.  They  paraded  as  “ Boxers,”  and 
as  companies  of  soldiers  sent  to  arrest  Boxers.  The  small- 
est mites  had  their  little  flags  and  cartridge-belts,  and 
joined  in  the  incessant  sport.  They  made  deep  holes  in 
inconvenient  situations,  but  as  these  were  said  to  be  for 
“ bomb-proofs  ” they  could  not  be  disturbed.  They  tugged 


AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


487 


at  heavy  bricks  and  timbers  which  were  placed  in  pre- 
posterous positions  to  be  regarded  as  defences.  They 
filled  tiny  sacks,  made  for  their  especial  use,  with  earth, 
and  heaped  them  up  passim,  to  guard  the  works  which 
they  had  constructed. 

On  one  occasion  a redoubt  of  this  sort  built  by  infants 
of  the  “ Number  four  ” size,  was  totally  demolished  by 
some  of  those  of  the  “ Number  ten  ” variety,  to  the  in- 
dignation of  the  justice  loving  mammas,  who  remonstrated 
with  the  big  boys  for  their  harsh  treatment  of  the  little 
ones.  But  the  leader  of  the  attacking  party  drew  him- 
self up  proudly  and  replied : “ In  time  of  war  they  ought 
to  have  put  a guard  over  their  works,  or  else  they  might 
expect  to  have  them  captured ! ” As  there  seemed  to  be 
some  reason  in  this  military  view  of  the  case,  the  matter 
was  dropped.  On  another  occasion  some  children  of 
missionaries  were  seen  throwing  stones  at  another  com- 
pany of  lads,  who  were  returning  the  compliment ; but 
upon  inquiry  each  side  hastened  to  explain  that  “ They 
were  trying  to  break  down  our  barricades,  and  we 
wouldn’t  let  them.” 

It  has  been  already  mentioned  that  there  was  a foreign 
child  born  during  the  progress  of  the  siege,  a circum- 
stance which  was  commemorated  in  the  name  bestowed 
upon  him — “ Siege  Moore.”  There  were  probably  several 
Chinese  babies  introduced  into  the  world  at  the  same 
inauspicious  epoch,  but  of  these  there  is  no  record.  More 
than  one  of  the  Chinese  schoolgirls  was  married  during 
the  early  days  of  the  imprisonment,  as  their  parents  could 
not  take  care  of  them,  and  they  could  not  otherwise  go 
to  their  prospective  homes. 

Of  the  number  of  Chinese  who  died  of  wounds,  or  of 
illness,  it  is  impossible  to  speak  with  any  accuracy,  as  it 
was  impracticable  to  collect  satisfactory  information.  It 


4«8 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


has  been  already  mentioned  that  the  mortality  among 
Chinese  children  was  very  heavy.  Six  foreign  infants 
succumbed  to  the  hardships  of  the  time.  The  following 
semi-official  table  of  casualties  among  the  defenders  of 
the  Legations  is  of  great  interest,  but  it  ought  to  be 
understood  that  it  does  not  represent  the  final  account, 
which  is  perhaps  not  to  be  had  in  a completely  accurate 
shape.  When  the  marines  left  Peking,  a few  too  weak 
to  be  removed  remained  in  the  hospital.  The  very  first 
British  marine  to  be  wounded  (Sawyer)  was  the  last  one 
to  die,  long  after  his  comrades  had  gone  back  to  their 
ship.  Something  similar  may  have  been  true  of  some  of 
the  wounded  in  other  detachments.  As  soon  as  the  ter- 
rible strain  of  the  siege  was  over,  most  of  those  who 
were  able  to  do  so  left  Peking,  and  many  of  them  left 
China.  Among  them  were  several  who  seemed  to  be  in 
perfect  health,  only  “ a bit  tired.” 


Casualties  among  Volunteers  during  Siege  in  Peking. 


LEGATIONS. 

Killed. 

Wounded. 

Total 

Killed. 

Total 

Wounded. 

American 

I 

7 

II 

Austrian 

.... 

• • • • 

4 

II 

British  

4 3 

6 

6 

26 

French 

2 

6 

13 

42 

German 

'i 

*i 

13 

16 

Japanese  

‘5 

8 

10 

29 

Italian 

. . . 

7 

12 

Russian 

I 

I 

7 

20 

Totals 

12 

23 

67 

I67 

l Baron  von  Ketteler,  German  Minister. 

9 Mr.  von  Cordes,  Chinese  Secretary,  German  Legation. 

3 Including  Surgeon  Captain  Ando. 

4 Including  Mr.  Wagner,  a Frenchman  in  the  Imperial  Maritime  Customs. 


Casualties  During  the  Siege  in  Peking. 


AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


489 


O 

£ 


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Ph 


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00  co 
in  co 

W CO 

M 

vo  d 

m in 

00  CO 

M 

M 

• M 

IH 

01 

M 

M 

O W 
CO  W 

M M 

C* 

French  

Italian 

Totals  

* Including  7 Cossack  Legation  Guards. 


49° 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


A fearfully  long  list  of  deaths  has  to  be  added  to  these 
tables,  which  cannot  without  danger  of  serious  omissions 
catalogue  those  who,  in  places  widely  distant  from  each 
other,  and  at  intervals  of  weeks  or  of  months,  lost  their 
lives  as  a direct  consequence  of  the  Siege  in  Peking. 
The  tables  will  therefore  be  understood  to  refer  to  the 
time  when  the  siege  was  raised,  and  not  to  the  final 
result. 

The  incidental  references  to  the  International  Hos- 
pital, which  constituted  so  important  a part  of  our  re- 
cuperative energies,  should  be  supplemented  by  a few 
notes,  most  of  which  are  culled  from  an  article  by  a 
British  lady  physician  well  qualified  to  write  on  the  sub- 
ject. 

The  large  proportion  of  the  medical  faculty  represented 
among  the  besieged  was  truly  remarkable.  Altogether 
there  were,  of  all  nationalities,  twenty  men  and  women 
with  medical  and  surgical  degrees,  including  Dr.  Ts’ao,  a 
Chinese  physician  of  the  American  Methodist  Mission, 
and  a retired  naval  surgeon. 

The  Hospital  was  opened  on  the  day  after  the  siege 
began,  Drs.  Poole  and  Velde  being  the  staff.  The  women 
doctors  were  asked  to  nurse,  which  they  gladly  did. 
There  were  two  trained  nurses,  and  other  ladies  to  help. 
The  physicians  who  had  to  leave  home  at  an  hour’s  notice 
had  of  course  few  drugs  and  dressings.  The  British  Le- 
gation was  poorly  stocked,  as  Dr.  Poole  had  only  just 
come  out.  Fortunately  Dr.  Velde  had  a large  supply,  all 
of  the  German  army  type, — iodoform  gauze  tied  up  in 
little  packets  very  much  compressed,  to  be  cut  into  strips, 
with  white  muslin  gauze  squares,  about  five  inches  each 
way,  folded  and  compressed  into  another  very  small  pack- 
age. He  had  also  a sterilizer,  which  later  had  to  be  used 
when  muslin  curtains  took  the  place  of  the  white  gauze, 


AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


491 


and  bags  of  peat  or  saw-dust  that  of  wool.  Instruments 
were  always  sterilized  for  operation. 

To  most  of  the  assistants  the  experience  of  shot  and 
shell  was  new.  The  hospital  first  occupied  two  rooms  in 
the  Chancery  bungalow,  but  gradually,  as  the  number  of 
the  wounded  grew,  more  rooms  had  to  be  taken  over, 
until  there  were  an  operating-room  with  two  tables ; five 
wards  and  beds  for  five  patients  in  the  hall ; a conva- 
lescent ward  for  officers  and  civilians  in  Lady  MacDon- 
ald's house,  and  another  for  marines  elsewhere.  Three 
American  ladies  superintended  the  kitchen  and  stores ; 
they  were  beyond  all  praise. 

The  Hospital  had  of  course  first  claim  to  commissariat 
stores,  but  nowhere  else  was  there  such  fragrant  pony- 
soup,  such  really  eatable  mule  stew.  Officers  and  men  ap- 
peared to  think  it  worth  while  to  be  slightly  wounded  to 
get  a few  days’  good  feeding.  Owing  to  the  difficulty  of 
“ diverse  tongues  ” the  men  were  “ warded  ” by  nationality 
wherever  possible, — at  any  rate  no  man  was  in  a room 
where  he  could  not  talk  to  some  one.  Italians  and  French 
were  together,  with  a French  Sister  in  charge;  Russians 
were  in  another  room,  where  they  were  most  tenderly 
cared  for  by  Madame  de  Giers,  herself.  The  Germans 
were  often  put  with  them  and  one  room  was  always  full 
of  the  bright,  interesting  little  Japanese.  English  and 
Americans  naturally  went  together.  There  was  one  ward 
for  officers  and  civilian  volunteers,  and  here  were  nursed 
British,  American,  German,  French,  Italian,  Austrian, 
Dutch,  Australian,  and  Russian. 

It  was  wonderful  how  the  stores  and  supplies  came  in 
— beds  and  bedding,  shirts,  and  all  that  was  necessary. 
They  represented  very  much  self-denial  on  the  part  of 
some,  and  exhibited  many  expedients.  The  under 
pillows  were  made  of  straw  from  the  packing  of 


492 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


wine  bottles,  eider-down  quilts  were  cut  up  for  soft 
pillows,  a long  piece  of  Chefoo  silk  found  in  the  Mongol 
Market  made  shirts,  as  did  best  damask  linen  and  bright 
yellow  cotton.  “ Imperial  ” shirts  these  were  called. 

There  were  very  few  bedsteads ; matresses  were  placed 
on  the  floor,  but  every  man  did  have  a mattress  from 
somewhere,  as  well  as  sheets  and  pillows. 

The  families  of  some  of  the  Legation  people  went  with- 
out mosquito  curtains  for  the  whole  siege,  that  the  men 
in  the  Hospital  might  be  supplied  with  this  luxury — al- 
most, indeed,  a necessity.  Some  of  the  marines  had  first- 
aid  dressings  in  their  haversacks,  but  the  civilian  volun- 
teers had  none,  so  that  their  wounds  were  not  cared  for 
until  their  arrival  at  the  Hospital. 

The  character  of  the  wounds  was  not  that  of  open 
warfare,  for  the  fighting  was  all  behind  barricades.  Con- 
sequently the  proportion  of  head  injuries  was  large.  Sec- 
ondary operations,  undertaken  on  account  of  symptoms, 
often  disclosed  bits  of  material — shirt  or  trousers — which 
had  been  driven  into  the  wound,  or  the  missing  bullet 
or  fragment  of  shell.  The  proportion  of  shell  wounds 
was  small,  only  one,  of  the  face  proving  fatal.  There 
were  three  perforating  wounds  of  the  larynx.  Two  cases 
of  compound  fracture  of  tibia  developed  tetanus,  each  of 
which  was  fatal. 

A case  of  strychnine  poison  has  been  already  alluded 
to.  Chloroform  inhalation,  continued  for  two  and  a half 
hours,  followed  by  the  stomach  pump,  brought  about  re- 
covery, and  the  second  day  the  man  was  dressed,  return- 
ing to  duty  the  day  following. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  siege  several  cases  were  in- 
valided with  diarrhoea  and  dysentery.  Among  the  Rus- 
sians there  were  two  deaths  from  the  latter,  but  they  were 


AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


493 


known  to  be  exceedingly  careless  about  their  drinking 
water.  There  were  three  cases  of  typhoid,  one  of  which 
died  after  removal  to  Tientsin.  With  the  exception  of 
the  two  tetanus  cases,  there  was  during  the  siege  no  death 
of  any  one  who  survived  his  injury  twenty-four  hours. 

No  hospital  notes  were  kept  during  the  siege,  which 
was  a cause  of  regret,  but  no  one  had  the  time.  At  the 
Pei  T’ang,  explosion  from  mines  was  the  cause  of  most 
of  the  casualties. 

In  his  dispatch  to  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury  regarding 
the  conduct  of  the  defences,  Sir  Claude  MacDonald 
makes  especial  reference  to  the  Hospital,  and  to  the  two 
physicians  in  charge.  During  the  siege  166  cases  passed 
through  the  Hospital,  twenty  suffering  from  illness,  the 
rest  surgical  cases.  Owing  to  the  devotion  and  skill  of 
the  two  medical  officers,  no  of  the  wounded  were 
eventually  discharged  cured.  Dr.  Poole  was  inde- 
fatigable at  his  work,  always  sympathetic  and  cheer- 
ful. The  wounded  of  all  nationalities  spoke  most 
warmly  of  his  devotion  and  skill.  At  the  conclusion 
he  was  struck  down  with  fever  of  a very  danger- 
ous description,  and  had  to  be  invalided.  The  sick-bay 
steward,  Mr.  Fuller,  is  highly  commended  for  his  care 
and  gentle  treatment  of  the  wounded,  and  the  willing  and 
cheerful  manner  in  which  he  carried  out  his  duties.  Miss 
Myers  and  Miss  Brazier  daily  filtered  the  water  for  the 
Hospital  (a  task  by  no  means  easy  with  a hand-pump 
filter)  and  carried  it  there  themselves,  often  with  bullets 
and  shells  bursting  in  the  trees  overhead.  Several  of  the 
ladies  received,  for  their  tireless  labors  in  nursing  the 
sick,  the  well  merited  order  of  the  Red  Cross.  Miss 
Jessie  Ransome  was  personally  decorated  by  King  Ed- 
ward, while  Miss  Lambert  of  the  Anglican  Mission,  Miss 


494 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Abbie  Chapin  of  the  American  Board,  and  Miss  Dr. 
Saville  of  the  London  Mission,  received  the  decoration  in 
China. 

Immediately  upon  the  conclusion  of  the  siege,  the 
Americans  met  and  adopted  resolutions  recognizing  their 
obligations  to  the  Marines  by  whom  they  had  been  de- 
fended for  so  long  a time,  to  Sir  Claude  MacDonald, 
Her  Britannic  Majesty’s  Minister,  and  to  Minister  Con- 
ger. From  the  latter  the  following  communication  was 
received  at  about  the  same  time: 

“ Peking,  August  18,  1900. 

“ The  Besieged  American  Missionaries  : 

“ To  one  and  all  of  you,  so  providentially  saved  from 
threatened  massacre,  I beg  in  this  hour  of  our  deliverance 
to  express  what  I know  to  be  the  universal  sentiment 
of  the  Diplomatic  Corps,  the  sincere  appreciation  of  and 
profound  gratitude  for  the  inestimable  help  which  you 
and  the  native  Christians  under  your  charge  have  ren- 
dered toward  our  preservation.  Without  your  intelligent 
and  successful  planning,  and  the  uncomplaining  execu- 
tion of  the  Chinese,  I believe  our  salvation  would  have 
been  impossible. 

“ By  your  courteous  consideration  of  me,  and  your  con- 
tinued patience  under  most  trying  occasions,  I have  been 
most  deeply  touched,  and  for  it  all  I thank  you  most 
heartily.  I hope  and  believe  that  somehow,  in  God’s  un- 
erring plan,  your  sacrifices  and  danger  will  bear  rich 
fruit  in  the  material  and  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people  to 
whom  you  have  so  nobly  devoted  your  lives  and  work. 

“ Assuring  you  of  my  personal  respect  and  gratitude, 
believe  me,  Very  sincerely  yours, 

E.  H.  Conger/' 


INDEX  TO  GROUP  OF  AMERICAN 
MISSIONARIES. 


i.  Rev.  G.  W.  Verily 
i.  Miss  Amy  Brown 

3.  Mrs.  A.  H.  Smith 

4.  Rev.  VV.  T.  Hobart 

5.  Rev.  John  Wherry,  D.D. 

6.  Rev.  W.  F.  Walker,  D.D. 

7.  J.  H.  Ingram,  M.D. 

8.  Rev.  H.  E.  King 

9.  Rev.  G.  R.  Davis 

10.  Rev.  A.  H.  Smith,  D.D. 

11.  Rev.  C.  A.  Killie 

12.  Rev.  W.  B.  Stelle 

r3.  Rev.  Gilbert  Reid,  D.D. 

14.  Miss  Grace  Newton 

15.  Miss  Luella  Miner 

16.  Miss  Nellie  Russell 

17.  Miss  Maud  Mackey,  M.D. 

18.  Miss  Elizabeth  Martin 

19.  Mrs.  F.  D.  Gamewell 

20.  Miss  Gertrude  Gilman 

21.  Miss  Anna  Gloss,  M.D. 

22.  Mrs.  C.  M.  Jewell 

23.  Miss  Gertrude  Wyckoff 

24.  Miss  Ada  Haven 

25.  Mrs.  Howard  Galt 


26.  Mrs.  J.  H.  Ingram 

27.  Rev.  F.  M.  Chapin 

28.  Miss  Janet  McKillican 

29.  Mrs.  Gilbert  Reid  and  child 

30.  Miss  Eliza  Leonard,  M.D. 

31.  Mrs.  C.  A.  Killie 

32.  Miss  Alice  Terrell 

33.  Miss  Jane  Evans 

34.  Mrs.  C.  Goodrich 
33.  Mrs.  W.  F.  Walker 

36.  Miss  Emma  E.  Martin,  M.D. 

37.  Mrs.  C.  E.  Ewing  and  child 

38.  Mrs.  F.  M.  Chapin 

39.  Miss  Mary  Andrews 

40.  Mrs.  J.  L.  Mateer 

41.  Rev.  C.  Goodrich,  M.D. 

42.  Miss  D.  M.  Douw 

43.  Miss  Ruth  Ingram  and  sister 

44.  Miss  Grace  Goodrich 

45.  Miss  Esther  Walker 

46.  Miss  Marion  Ewing 

47.  Miss  Dorothea  Goodrich 

48.  Master  Carrington  Goodrich 

49.  Master  Ernest  Chapin 

50.  Master  Ralph  Chapin 


The  following  American  Missionaries  were  not  on  hand  when  the  picture 
was  taken:  Rev.  F.  D.  Gamewell,  Dr.  G.  D.  Lowry.  Rev.  C.  E.  Ewing,  Rev. 
W.  S.  Ament,  D.D.,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  C.  H.  Fennand  family,  Rev.  J.  L.  Whiting, 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Inglis,  Rev.  Howard  Galt,  Miss  Bessie  McCoy,  Miss  Abbie 
Chapin,  Miss  A.  H.  Gowans,  Miss  H.  E Rutherford  and  Miss  Grace  Wyckoff. 


GROUP  OF  AMERICAN  MISSIONARIES  PRESENT  DURING  THE  SIEGE 


AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


495 


Three  days  previous  to  this,  Sir  Claude  had  written  tc 
the  Chairman  of  the  General  Committee,  as  follows : 

“British  Legation,  Peking,  Aug.  15,  1900. 

“ Dear  Mr.  Tewksbury: 

“ I have  been  busy  these  last  few  days,  and  feel  quite 
worn  out,  otherwise  this  letter  would  have  been  written 
before. 

“ I want  to  express  to  the  American  members  of  the 
Committee  of  General  Comfort  my  high  appreciation  of 
the  good  work  they  did  during  the  siege,  and  of  the 
ready  and  loyal  manner  in  which  they  anticipated  my 
every  wish. 

“ With  such  men  to  work  with,  work  becomes  a pleas- 
ure, and  is  bound  to  be  crowned  with  success.  This  remark 
applies  to  all  the  American  missionaries  who  took  part 
with  me  in  the  siege.  Their  work  and  support  were  un- 
stinted, intelligent,  and  most  loyal,  and  I have  no  hesi- 
tation in  saying  that  I consider  that  their  presence  in 
the  Legation  saved  the  situation.  Yours  very  truly, 

Claude  M.  MacDonald.” 

A few  days  later,  the  following  telegram  from  the 
President  of  the  United  States  was  received  by  the  Min- 
ister : 

“ The  whole  American  people  rejoice  over  your  deliver- 
ance, over  the  safety  of  your  companions  of  our  own  and 
other  nations,  who  have  shared  your  trials  and  privations ; 
the  fortitude  and  courage  which  you  have  all  maintained, 
and  the  heroism  of  your  little  band  of  defenders.  We  all 
mourn  for  those  who  have  fallen,  and  acknowledge  the 
goodness  of  God  which  has  preserved  you,  and  guided 
the  brave  army  that  set  you  free. 


Wm.  McKinley.” 


496 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Two  days  later  the  following  communication  from  the 
Queen  was  received  by  Sir  Claude  MacDonald. 

“ Warmest  congratulations  on  your  safety,  after  such  a 
terrible  time  of  anxiety  to  us  all.  Trust  you,  Lady  Mac- 
Donald, and  children  are  well  as  well  as  the  others. 

V.  R.  I.” 

A separate  telegram  was  sent  from  the  same  source. 

“ To  the  Officer  Commanding  the  British  Marine  Guard : 

I thank  God  that  you  and  those  under  your  command 
are  rescued  from  your  perilous  situation.  We,  my  people 
and  I,  have  waited  with  the  deepest  anxiety  for  the  good 
news  of  your  safety,  and  a happy  termination  to  your 
heroic  and  prolonged  defence.  I grieve  for  the  losses 
and  sufferings  experienced  by  the  besieged. 

V.  R.  I.” 

******* 

The  siege  in  Peking  was  scarcely  raised  before  many 
of  those  whose  homes  were  in  the  city,  hastened  to  visit 
the  sites  of  their  dwellings,  to  see  in  what  condition  they 
then  were.  Most  of  them  were  found  to  resemble  the 
premises  of  the  Methodist  Mission,  where  the  Americans 
had  been  in  a state  of  semi-siege  for  twelve  days.  On 
these  spacious  grounds,  in  three  distinct  divisions,  sepa- 
rated from  one  another  by  intervening  streets,  had  been 
seven  dwelling  houses,  three  chapels,  two  boys’  schools, 
one  large  girls’  school,  two  training  schools,  two  hos- 
pitals, two  dispensaries,  and  eight  native  houses.  The 
University  of  Peking  was  a large  two-story  building  en- 
closed by  a high  wall,  on  extensive  grounds. 


AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


497 


When  it  became  possible  to  revisit  this  familiar  spot, 
one  could  have  ridden  on  horse-back  everywhere  except 
where  the  cellars  of  the  buildings  had  left  dangerous  pits. 
It  was  difficult  to  find  anywhere  a whole  brick,  and  aside 
from  occasional  sheets,  or  parts  of  sheets,  of  galvanized- 
iron  roofing,  it  was  difficult  to  find  anything  whatever  to 
suggest  for  what  the  premises  had  been  used.  From 
all  the  compounds  together  not  enough  splinters  of  wood 
could  have  been  gathered  to  kindle  a fire.  The  outer 
walls  of  the  premises,  as  well  as  those  of  the  buildings, 
had  been  excavated  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  founda- 
tions, to  remove  every  brick,  and  every  tree  had  been  not 
only  cut  down,  but  dug  up  by  the  roots,  so  that  the 
exact  situation  of  each  could  be  determined  by  the  deep 
and  irregular  holes.  The  only  exception  was  a fine  old 
tree  standing  just  within  the  main  gate,  upon  which  the 
notices  and  bulletins  had  been  daily  posted  during  the 
semi-siege.  Why  this  was  spared  is  somewhat  of  a 
mystery,  unless  it  may  have  been  supposed  to  be  the 
abode  of  a spirit ; but  it  served  as  a landmark  without 
which  it  was  difficult  to  determine  where  anything  had 
once  stood. 

On  the  University  campus  a flock  of  an  hundred  sheep, 
intended  for  the  use  of  the  troops,  were  quietly  grazing. 
Few  Chinese  were  anywhere  to  be  seen.  Many  of  the 
neighbouring  dwellings  were  destroyed  together  with  the 
Mission  property,  either  through  accident,  from  revenge, 
or  in  gratification  of  the  wild  instinct  of  promoting 
universal  ruin.  Most  of  the  neighbouring  court-yards 
were  found  full  of  bricks  and  other  looted  material,  but 
only  a trifling  fraction  of  that  which  had  been  lost  could  be 
recovered.  The  large  bell  of  the  church  had  been  buried 
but  was  afterwards  exhumed,  on  the  locality  becoming 
known.  This  process  of  sepulture  for  compromising 


498 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


articles  was  one  of  which  the  Chinese  made  great  use, 
especially  in  the  concealment  of  rails  and  ties  from  the 
railway,  but  in  many  cases  unfriendly  informers  made 
the  last  state  of  those  who  had  ventured  upon  this  method 
far  worse  than  the  first. 

The  condition  of  the  Methodist  compounds  may  serve 
as  a type  of  all  the  premises  destroyed  in  Peking.  In  a 
few  instances  walls  were  left  standing  as  if  to  mark 
where  the  buildings  had  once  been,  but  this  was  excep- 
tional. In  almost  every  compound  there  was  the  same 
monotony  of  absolute  and  total  destruction,  unrelieved 
and  hopeless. 

The  total  amount  of  property  destroyed  belonging  to 
the  various  Protestant  missions  in  Peking,  has  not  been 
exactly  ascertained,  but  approximately  it  may  be  said  to 
comprise  thirty-four  dwelling  houses,  eighteen  chapels, 
eleven  boys’  schools  and  one  university,  eleven  girls’ 
schools,  four  training  schools,  eleven  dispensaries  and 
eight  hospitals,  besides  more  than  thirty  summer-houses 
at  the  western  hills,  and  several  others  at  the  sea-side. 

Within  a few  days  of  the  arrival  of  the  troops,  the 
Protestant  Cemetery  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Peking 
was  visited,  and  it  was  found  that  the  tales  which  had 
been  told  of  its  condition  were  only  too  true.  All  the 
enclosing  walls  had  been  pulled  down,  and  even  the  foun- 
dations were  dug  up.  The  long  avenue  of  trees,  nearly 
forty  years  old,  had  been  destroyed,  monuments  had  been 
overthrown  and  broken  into  fragments,  and  thirteen  of 
the  graves  had  been  opened  and  the  bodies  removed ; 
some  of  them  had  evidently  been  used  for  a bonfire,  only 
a few  fragments  of  bones  and  here  and  there  a metal 
button  remaining  to  tell  the  tale. 

This  savagery,  so  alien  to  the  usual  Chinese  respect 
for  the  dead,  differentiates  the  Boxer  rising  from  any 


RUINS  OF  PRESBYTERIAN  MISSION,  PEKING  RUINS  OF  METHODIST  MISSION,  PEKING 


AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


499 


anti-foreign  movement  which  had  preceded  it,  and  may 
serve  as  a gauge  of  the  violence  of  the  volcanic  forces 
deliberately  let  loose.  The  Russian  Cemetery  received  the 
same  treatment,  which  indicated  that  despite  the  appar- 
ently exceptional  relations  existing  between  Russia  and 
China,  at  the  crucial  moment  there  was  no  discrimination 
between  one  barbarian  and  another. 

On  the  19th  of  August  a memorial  service  was  held  for 
Earon  von  Ketteler  in  the  German  Legation,  with  mili- 
tary honours,  the  body  having  been  brought  back  in  the 
Chinese  coffin  where  it  had  been  deposited  by  the  kind  in- 
tervention of  one  of  the  members  of  the  Tsung  Li  Yamen 
who  was  not  carried  away  by  the  prevailing  insanity  of 
the  hour.  On  the  6th  of  September  a still  more  im- 
pressive memorial  service  was  held  on  the  Ha  Ta  great 
street,  the  coffin  being  deposited  at  the  spot  where  the 
German  Minister  had  been  basely  shot  seventy-eight  days 
previous.  Some  companies  of  German  soldiers  were  in 
attendance,  with  a band,  and  many  members  of  other  Le- 
gations. A part  of  the  brief  exercises  was  a stirring  ad- 
dress delivered  by  a Chaplain  named  Kessler,  review- 
ing the  career  of  the  late  Minister,  and  enforcing  the 
obvious  lessons  to  be  drawn  therefrom. 

It  was  a strange  and  an  impressive  spectacle,  taking 
place  as  it  did  on  one  of  the  great  arteries  of  the  ancient 
Capital  of  the  Empire,  which  with  all  its  experience  had 
never  witnessed  conditions  like  these.  The  chair  of  the 
Baroness,  in  deep  mourning,  stood  beside  the  coffin ; the 
streets  were  lined  with  interested  European  spectators, 
and  with  impassive  Chinese,  perhaps  dimly  wondering 
what  it  was  all  about.  What  a change  of  circumstances 
within  that  two  and  a half  months,  and  what  a wonder 
that  events  shaped  by  an  unseen  Hand  had  brought  about 
such  a surprising  revolution,  for  the  man  who  fired  the 


500 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


shot  was  already  in  the  custody  of  the  Germans,  admitting 
the  act,  but  explaining  that  he  was  obeying  the  orders  of 
his  immediate  superiors. 

During  the  entire  siege  more  than  seventy  Chinese 
Peking  carts  stood  in  the  British  Legation,  a reminiscence 
of  the  expectation  that  an  overland  journey  to  Tientsin 
would  be  soon  undertaken,  and  they  would  all  be  wanted. 
As  soon  as  the  besieged  began  once  more  to  go  upon  the 
streets,  there  occurred  one  of  those  surprising  alterations 
of  conditions  to  which  despite  their  perpetual  recurrence 
it  was  difficult  to  become  accustomed.  The  city  was 
flooded  with  foreign  troops,  and  such  Chinese  as  had  re- 
mained soon  began  to  perceive  that  nothing  would  be 
safe  in  merely  Chinese  possession.  Accordingly  many  of 
them  who  had  foreign  friends  among  the  besieged,  or 
even  mere  acquaintances,  hastened  to  confide  to  them 
the  carts  and  mules  which  in  the  sudden  and  universal 
demand  for  transportation,  it  was  impossible  to  save  from 
confiscation.  Thus  was  realized  the  Chinese  adage  which 
says : “ Nothing  to  eat  in  the  morning,  and  at  night  a 
horse  to  ride.” 

The  disagreeable  and  dangerous  pervasiveness  of  some 
of  the  Continental  soldiers  became  so  obtrusive  and  in- 
trusive, that  it  was  necessary  to  remove  the  Chinese 
Christians,  especially  the  school-girls,  from  their  siege 
quarters  to  safer  and  more  secluded  places.  The  quest 
for  suitable  headquarters  occupied  some  of  the  guardians 
of  these  helpless  wards  for  many  weary  days.  In  many 
cases  Chinese  who  had  been  in  good  circumstances  were 
more  than  willing  to  put  their  property  at  the  disposal  of 
any  foreigner  whom  they  knew,  to  prevent  it  from  being 
despoiled. 

In  two  instances  considerable  bodies  of  Chinese  Chris- 
tians were  lodged  by  the  consent  of  the  military  and  le- 


AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


501 


gation  authorities  in  the  palaces  of  Manchu  Princes, 
which  had  been  abandoned  by  their  owners  in  terror.  As 
the  extensive  complicity  of  all  the  Manchus  in  Peking 
with  the  Boxer  movement  became  established  as  a fact, 
it  seemed  increasingly  probable  that  the  property  in  these 
places  would  be  promptly  confiscated.  In  accordance 
with  the  express  advice  both  of  the  British  and  the 
American  Ministers,  it  was  decided  to  sell  the  property 
thus  abandoned,  and  to  use  the  abundant  proceeds  for  the 
support  of  the  destitute  Christians,  the  number  of  whom 
continually  increased  as  refugees  from  distant  places 
began  to  have  courage  to  come  into  the  city. 

This  step  gave  rise  to  much  misapprehension,  and  when 
the  story  was  repeated  with  unconscious  exaggeration  by 
those  ignorant  of  the  peculiar  circumstances,  led  to  the 
propagation  of  much  absolutely  unsupported  scandal.  It 
would  have  been  quite  possible  to  have  refused  to  enter 
these  places  at  all,  but  having  entered  them,  the  only  way 
to  preserve  the  property  from  miscellaneous  looting  was  to 
take  possession  of  it  under  the  highest  authority  then  in 
existence,  and  to  use  it  in  ways  which  that  authority  ap- 
proved. 

With  the  flight  of  the  Empress  and  the  Court,  the  whole 
Chinese  army  disappeared  from  vision,  dispersed  in  many 
different  directions,  harrying  the  people  through  the 
regions  where  they  passed,  and  anon  congregating  in  Pao 
Ting  Fu  and  other  centers,  only  again  to  scatter.  The 
mere  occupation  of  Peking  was  probably  regarded  by 
them  simply  as  an  untoward  incident,  and  by  itself  ac- 
complished little  or  nothing  toward  the  settlement  of  the 
numerous  and  intricate  questions  arising  upon  every  hand. 
The  extensive  supplies  of  arms  which  seem  to  have  been 
sent  to  Peking  during  the  siege,  were  concealed  in  a great 
variety  of  places,  many  of  them  coming  to  light  in  un- 


502 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


expected  localities.  Young  Fargo  Squiers  with  a com- 
panion discovered  a great  number  of  cases  of  Mannlicher 
carbines ; two  of  these  they  conveyed  to  the  American 
Legation,  but  upon  returning  for  the  rest,  it  was  found 
that  the  French  had  seized  them.  Mr.  Tewksbury  learned 
through  a Buddhist  priest  that  in  a temple  a short  dis- 
tance outside  of  the  Chang  I gate  of  the  southern  city 
there  were  stored  several  cases  of  3F2  inch  shells  belong- 
ing to  the  captured  Krupp  guns.  On  reporting  this  to 
the  United  States  officers,  a Major  and  a guard  were  sent 
to  take  possession.  Similar  finds  were  made  in  other 
quarters. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  discoveries  was  the  mode  of 
construction  of  the  elaborate  gun-platforms  which  the 
Chinese  had  put  up  inside  the  south-eastern  corner  of  the 
Imperial  City,  for  attacking  the  Legations  and  the  Su 
Wang  Fu.  These  were  built  of  pine  poles  of  large  size 
carefully  and  strongly  lashed  together,  supporting  a plat- 
form about  twenty-five  feet  in  height,  with  an  area  of 
about  twenty-five  by  forty  feet.  A long  ramp  led  up  to 
each  one,  for  dragging  the  guns  into  position.  A careful 
count  showed  that  not  less  than  seven  hundred  poles  had 
been  required  for  each  platform.  They  were  provided 
with  strongly  built  roofs  of  two  inch  planks  and  the  port 
holes,  which  had  been  dug  through  the  coping  of  the  city 
wall,  were  protected  from  rifle-firing  by  doors  of  3-16 
inch  iron  as  bullet  shields, — apparently  some  of  the  plun- 
der from  the  electric  light  works.  Either  one  of  these 
batteries  properly  worked  ought  to  have  made  the  Brit- 
ish Legation  and  the  Fu  untenable  after  two  hours  firing; 
yet,  except  during  the  final  night  of  the  siege,  the  execu- 
tion actually  done  was  trifling. 

The  water-gate  directly  below  these  gun-platforms  had 
been  most  securely  barricaded  with  bricks  and  stones,  as 


BRITISH  LEGATION  WALL 


CHINESE  GUN  PLATFORM  FOR  FIRING  ON  THE  LEGATION 


AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


5°3 


if  to  prevent  the  besieged  from  making  a rush  on  the 
Imperial  and  Forbidden  cities,  and  capturing  the  Court ! 
At  the  same  time,  the  corresponding  gate  in  the  southern 
wall  of  the  northern  city,  through  which  as  already  men- 
tioned, the  first  foreign  troops  actually  entered,  was  left 
wholly  unguarded,  some  of  the  iron  bars  being  altogether 
lacking,  and  the  remainder  easily  removed. 

By  far  the  most  interesting  sight  in  Peking  after  the 
relief,  was  the  Pei  T’ang,  or  Northern  Cathedral,  which 
had  been  defended  with  supreme  courage  from  the  16th 
of  June  (four  days  before  the  Legation  siege  began), 
until  the  16th  of  August  (two  days  after  the  Legations 
were  delivered),  when  the  first  entry,  singularly  enough, 
was  made  by  the  Japanese  troops.  The  extensive  grounds 
are  adjacent  to  the  west  wall  of  the  Imperial  City,  and  had 
been  attacked  from  a gun  platform  similar  to  the  one  just 
described,  situated  at  the  north-west  comer  of  the  wall, 
but  on  the  outside,  as  well  as  from  rifle-platforms  only 
a short  distance  off.  Just  beyond  the  north  wall  of  the 
orphanage  premises  was  situated  a large  magazine  stored 
with  sulphur  and  other  materials  for  the  manufacture  of 
powder,  of  which  the  Chinese  made  incessant  use. 

During  the  sixty  days  of  uninterrupted  attack  there 
occurred  four  explosions,  due  to  the  mining  of  the  Chi- 
nese, which  was  indefatigable  and  on  a large  scale.  Two 
of  the  four  were  very  severe  and  resulted  in  great  loss 
of  life,  especially  among  the  Chinese  children.  In  one  of 
these  explosions  the  roof  of  a building  fell  in  and  buried 
an  Italian  officer  five  feet  deep  in  the  debris.  It  was 
supposed  that  he  was  of  course  killed,  but  some  hours 
after,  when  there  was  leisure  to  attend  to  it,  excavations 
were  made,  and  he  was  found  to  be  uninjured! 

The  Cathedral  was  terribly  battered  by  shells,  but  most 
of  the  bullets  were  fired  far  too  high  to  do  much  execu- 


504 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


tion.  During  the  whole  two  months  of  the  Cathedral 
siege,  the  attacks  of  the  enemy  were  never  intermitted, — 
as  was  the  case  at  the  Legations — and  in  all  that  weary 
time  no  messengers  were  able  to  get  out,  and  no  outside 
news  was  received.  During  the  period  of  semi-truce  at 
the  Legations,  those  besieged  in  the  Cathedral,  hearing 
no  more  artillery,  naturally  concluded  that  the  Chinese 
had  been  victorious,  and  that  the  Legations  had  suc- 
cumbed. 

The  total  number  of  foreigners  imprisoned  in  the  prem- 
ises was  about  ninety,  of  whom  forty-three  were  officers 
and  marines.  There  were  several  thousand  Chinese,  and 
a very  inadequate  food  supply,  as  Bishop  Favier  had  ex- 
pected that  they  would  all  be  rescued  within  a short  time 
after  the  siege  began.  At  the  close  there  was  absolutely 
nothing  to  eat,  the  besieged  having  been  reduced  to  two 
ounces  of  food  a day ; and  when  the  relief  arrived 
even  this  morsel  was  not  available,  and  the  civilians  had 
agreed  to  go  without  food  that  what  there  was  might  be 
given  to  the  fighters.  The  Mother  Superior,  a venerable 
lady  of  great  age,  never  wavered  in  her  conviction  that 
the  Lord  would  assuredly  save  His  little  flock.  She  lived 
through  the  siege  to  see  her  prophecy  fulfilled,  and  then 
quietly  passed  away  in  peace. 

The  accurate  foresight  of  the  Bishop  in  forecasting  the 
coming  storm  was  equalled  by  the  heroism  of  all  those 
who  passed  through  this  frightful  ordeal,  which  on  some 
accounts  was  much  worse  than  that  experienced  by  those 
in  the  Legations,  as  its  duration  was  longer,  the  attacks 
continuous,  the  resources  more  meagre,  the  defenders  a 
mere  handful  against  vast  numbers,  and  the  harrowing 
suspense  in  regard  to  what  was  taking  place  outside  was 
never  once  broken.  Whatever  may  be  the  fate  of  Chris- 
tianity in  Peking  or  in  China,  the  Northern  Cathedral 


AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


505 


will  always  remain  as  a witness  of  what  Christian  men 
and  women,  Chinese  as  well  as  Europeans,  can  do  and 
suffer  for  a faith  to  which  they  have  given  their  whole 
selves,  and  for  which  they  would  gladly  have  given  their 
lives. 

The  following  additional  notes  upon  the  Siege  of  the 
North  Cathedral  are  condensed  from  an  account  by  Rev. 
Gilbert  Reid. 

There  were  congregated  there  30  French  officers  and 
marines,  10  Italians,  13  French  Fathers,  20  Sisters,  and 
3,200  native  converts. 

There  was  food  enough  for  about  500  usually  living 
on  the  place,  but  the  task  of  feeding  six  times  that  num- 
ber was  a serious  one. 

At  first  the  Chinese  had  eight  ounces  of  food  each  day, 
but  toward  the  end  this  was  reduced  to  two  ounces.  The 
men  worked  well  as  long  as  their  strength  remained,  but 
afterwards  could  not  do  much  more  than  crawl  about 
and  keep  up  a mere  existence.  The  supply,  such  as  it  was, 
chaff,  grass,  and  leaves  of  the  trees,  could  only  have 
lasted  a few  days  more,  and  then  famine  and  pestilence 
would  have  occurred.  The  foreigners  fared  better  as 
their  strength  was  indispensable  for  the  defence. 

The  attack,  at  first  by  Boxers,  began  on  June  15th,  when 
forty-eight  of  the  enemy  were  killed.  By  June  20th, 
Chinese  soldiers  appeared,  and  ever  afterward  continued 
to  be  the  chief  factor.  On  that  day  they  also  began 
cannonading,  firing  with  one  gun  straight  into  the  main 
entrance  of  the  Cathedral  grounds.  The  marines  made 
a rush  upon  the  enemy  and  captured  the  gun,  which  was 
the  only  artillery  they  had  during  the  whole  siege.  The 
cannonading  thus  began  earlier  than  at  the  Fegations 
and  was  more  severe.  For  three  days  the  Cathedral  w'as 
under  fire  from  at  least  fourteen  guns,  while  the  number 


5°6 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


was  ordinarily  not  less  than  four,  including  one  from  the 
Palace  grounds,  and  another  from  the  palace  of  Prince  Li. 

There  were  twenty-eight  successive  days  of  shelling, — 
being  four  days  more  than  the  whole  period  in  which 
any  of  the  Legations  were  shelled.  During  these  days  as 
many  as  2,400  shells  were  fired,  and  on  June  24th,  380 
shells  burst  in  the  grounds. 

The  only  defenders  of  the  Cathedral  and  its  vast 
crowd  of  helpless  refugees  were  the  forty  marines  who 
were  sent  from  the  foreign  guard,  stationed  at  the  six 
different  places  where  the  fortifications  were  made 
strongest.  The  French  were  supplied  with  2,000  rounds 
of  ammunition,  but  the  Italians  had  less.  As  soon  as  one 
of  their  number  was  killed  a Chinese  would  take  his 
place.  Night  and  day  this  small  number  had  to  keep 
watch,  and  be  ready  to  resist  every  device  of  the  enemy. 

The  shelling  left  its  marks  on  every  other  building  as 
well  as  on  the  Cathedral  itself.  But  the  greatest  effect 
was  from  the  powder  explosions.  As  many  as  eighty 
persons  were  killed  in  one  explosion,  and  400  in  all,  of 
whom  120  were  children.  The  loss  among  the  natives 
was  mainly  from  these  mines.  The  Foundling  Hospital 
was  a total  wreck,  a fitting  illustration  of  the  designs  of 
the  enemy. 

At  the  beginning  as  many  as  600  of  the  native  con- 
verts were  armed  with  swords  and  spears,  but  when  the 
Chinese  soldiers  began  firing  shot  and  shell,  such  equip- 
ment was  useless.  Forty  rifles  and  one  gun  were  the 
defence  against  perhaps  2,000  rifles  and  a dozen  guns. 

However  superior  the  strength  and  number  of  the 
enemy,  they  made  no  attempt  to  assault  and  enter  the 
place.  The  shots  of  the  French  were  too  well  aimed  to 
encourage  such  an  attempt.  A kind  Providence  rested 


AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


507 


over  the  place,  and  the  united  prayers  of  each  morning 
brought  their  blessing  in  rich  munificence. 

The  enemy  who  fought,  and  the  Empress  and  advisers 
who  schemed,  had  clearly  one  intent,  and  that  was  the 
annihilation  of  the  body  of  Christians  who  never  fired  a 
shot  except  in  self-defence.  To  the  credit  of  Catholic 
France  and  Catholic  Italy  the  calamity  was  prevented. 

The  defence  was  one  of  sublime  heroism.  The  head 
of  the  Mission,  Bishop  Favier,  was  the  leader  of  courage. 
While  untrained  to  martial  deeds,  he  maintained  cheer- 
fulness and  hope,  and  by  calmness  of  spirit  and  trust  in 
God,  kept  in  check  any  panic  among  the  converts,  and 
all  despondency  among  the  marines.  Half  of  the  Italian 
defenders,  and  both  of  the  French  officers,  with  three 
marines,  were  killed,  or  One-fourth  of  the  total.  How- 
ever desperate  the  position,  the  Bishop  never  lost  heart. 

The  Siege  in  Peking,  from  whatever  point  of  view  it 
is  regarded,  will  always  remain  a memorable  experience 
in  human  history.  It  was  the  culmination  of  a movement 
without  any  parallel  in  the  annals  of  the  past,  and  which 
is  not  likely  to  be  repeated  under  any  future  conditions. 
There  is  much  about  it  which  is  obscure,  and  much  which 
will  perhaps  remain  so.  But  as  an  example  of  the  stead- 
fast, patient  courage  of  a handful  against  a host,  of  the 
sagacious  use  of  slender  resources,  of  the  bravery  of 
men  and  the  fortitude  of  women,  of  unfaltering  trust  in 
God,  and  of  a great  deliverance  wrought  by  Him  against 
all  human  probabilities,  it  is  a story,  however  inadequately 
told,  which  the  world  will  not  willingly  let  die. 


XXVII 


THE  HAND  OF  GOD  IN  THE  SIEGE* 

FREDERICK  the  Great  is  said  to  have  inquired  of 
his  Chaplain  what  he  considered  to  be  the  proof 
of  the  authenticity  of  the  Bible.  The  Chaplain 
replied:  “The  Jews,  Your  Majesty.’’  Should  any  one 

ask  what  is  the  evidence  of  a Providence  which  watches 
over  the  affairs  of  men,  the  compendious  answer  might 
well  be : “ The  Siege  in  Peking.”  Instead  of  submitting 
the  case  to  argument,  it  is  better  to  confine  our  attention 
to  a few  outline  facts. 

i.  The  preservation  of  the  lives  of  the  foreigners  in 
Peking  before  the  Legation  guards  arrived.  There  is 
probable,  but  not  certain,  evidence  that  the  Grand  Coun- 
cil held  a meeting  at  which  the  question  of  exterminating 
all  Occidentals  in  Peking  was  discussed,  and  nothing  but 
the  vacillation  of  Prince  Ch'ing  seems  to  have  delayed 
the  act. 

2.  The  arrival  of  the  Legation  guards  by  the  very  last 
opportunity.  Had  they  been  two  days  later,  the  utter  and 
irreparable  ruin  of  the  railway  and  the  general  blaze 
throughout  the  country  would  have  prevented  them 
from  coming,  as  it  prevented  Admiral  Seymour  a few 

* The  substance  of  this  address  was  delivered  at  a Union 
Thanksgiving  Service,  held  in  the  British  Legation  grounds, 
Peking,  Sunday  morning  Aug.  19th,  after  the  arrival  of  the  re- 
lieving army. 

508 


COMING  OUT  OF  CHURCH,  PEKING 


THE  HAND  OF  GOD  IN  THE  SIEGE  509 


days  after.  This  would  have  insured  the  massacre  of 
every  foreigner  at  once. 

3.  The  immunity  from  attack  while  foreigners  were 
unaware  of  their  serious  peril.  Many  were  scattered  in 
distant  parts  of  Peking,  and  some  even  at  the  Western 
Hills,  as  if  nothing  were  wrong.  They  were  gathered  in 
by  the  8th  of  June.  The  largest  part  of  all,  twenty- 
four  in  number,  travelled  without  escort  thirteen  miles, 
from  T’ung  Chou,  through  a region  seething  with  animos- 
ity to  foreigners,  not  only  without  attack,  but  with  no 
threatening  symptoms  of  any  sort. 

4.  These  Americans  just  mentioned,  with  others  to  the 
number  of  seventy,  took  refuge  in  the  large  premises  of 
the  Methodist  Mission,  where  for  a period  of  twelve  days 
they  were  in  a state  of  semi-siege,  a time  which  was  a 
most  important  rehearsal  of  the  coming  period  of  far 
greater  trial.  An  elaborate  organization  was  at  once 
effected,  committees  of  many  kinds  chosen,  fortifications 
and  defences  begun,  sentries  mounted,  the  Chinese  Chris- 
tians drilled  and  armed,  so  that  when  the  whole  body  of 
foreigners  assembled  at  the  British  Legation,  and  the 
British  Minister  desired  the  active  cooperation  of  the 
Americans,  the  whole  machinery  was  in  order,  and  it  was 
only  necessary  to  slip  the  belt  on  the  wheel  for  it  to  begin 
to  work. 

5.  The  safety  of  the  native  Christians.  When  the 
sudden  murder  of  the  German  Minister  led  to  the  order 
that  all  foreigners  should  repair  to  their  Legations,  noth- 
ing was  said  in  regard  to  the  native  Christians.  They 
were  regarded  as  outside  the  sphere  of  influence  of  the 
Ministers,  who  took  no  action  in  regard  to  them  at  all. 
To  many  they  were  an  unconsidered  and  a negligible 
quantity.  Largely  through  the  agency  of  the  lamented 
Professor  James,  who  was  killed  at  the  very  time  of  the 


5io 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


entrance  of  the  Christians  to  the  palace  which  he  had 
helped  to  secure  for  them,  they  were  graciously  and  mar- 
vellously provided  for,  at  a time  of  dire  extremity,  in  the 
Su  Wang  Fu.  Little  as  most  of  us  realized  it  at  the  time, 
this  palace  and  its  grounds  were  absolutely  essential  to 
our  salvation.  Without  it  the  British,  Spanish,  Japanese, 
French  and  German  Legations  could  not  have  been  held, 
and  without  the  services  of  the  Chinese  Christians  the 
work  of  defence  could  not  have  been  prosecuted.  It 
might  have  been  said,  “ except  these  abide  in  the  ship, 
ye  cannot  be  saved.” 

6.  In  round  numbers  there  were  probably  three  thou- 
sand persons  to  be  fed  during  the  siege,  exclusive  of  the 
many  hundred  marines.  Many  foreigners  came  into  the 
Legation,  as  did  nearly  all  the  Chinese,  without  any  pro- 
vision whatever.  It  was  inherently  improbable  that  any 
considerable  food-supply  could  be  obtained  within  our 
lines,  for  a siege  of  unknown  duration.  Yet  in  a grain 
shop  on  Legation  Street  was  discovered  between  one 
hundred  and  two  hundred  tons  of  wheat  of  this  year’s 
crop,  recently  arrived  from  Honan.  Besides  this,  there 
were  mountains  of  rice,  white  and  yellow  Indian  corn, 
pulse,  and  much  else.  All  the  shops  in  Peking  dealing  in 
foreign  goods  were  within  our  lines,  and  their  stores 
were  immediately  available,  and  during  the  whole  siege 
were  absolutely  essential. 

There  was  a large  supply  of  ponies  for  the  races,  as 
well  as  mules,,  most  of  which  were  consumed  for  food, 
while  nearly  all  the  remainder  were  needed  for  hauling, 
grinding  grain,  etc.  The  food  for  all  these  animals  was 
supplied  as  remarkably  as  that  for  men  and  women.  Con- 
siderable sorghum  and  beans  were  discovered,  besides  a 
huge  pile  of  millet-straw  close  to  two  dwelling-houses 
which  had  been  burned, — one  on  either  side  of  the  straw, 


THE  HAND  OF  GOD  IN  THE  SIEGE  51 1 


which  was  not  disturbed.  Many  old  residents  of  Peking 
were  surprised  to  find  the  water  of  the  eight  wells  in  the 
British  Legation  was  of  great  excellence,  and  it  was 
abundantly  proved  that  it  could  be  safely  drunk  without 
being  filtered  or  boiled.  While  there  were  heavy  drafts 
on  these  wells  during  the  great  fires,  they  never  once 
failed  us. 

The  fuel  supply  was  absolutely  unlimited,  though  had 
it  been  absent  nothing  could  have  taken  its  place.  We 
were  surrounded  by  hundreds  of  thousands  of  pounds  of 
coal,  which  had  only  to  be  brought  a short  distance. 
Wrecked  buildings  afforded  all  the  kindling  needed  and 
abundant  timbers  for  fortifications. 

7.  Miscellaneous  supplies  were  procured  from  the  for- 
eign stores ; and  clothing  for  many  foreigners,  who  had 
not  even  a change  of  garments,  was  found  at  tailor  shops 
near  by.  One  of  the  greatest,  most  imperative,  and  con- 
stant needs,  was  material  for  sand  bags,  of  which  perhaps 
50,000  may  have  been  made.  At  first,  legation  curtains, 
damask  tablecloths,  and  any  and  every  fabric  obtainable 
was  used.  Later  the  supply  from  the  foreign  stores  and 
Chinese  sources  seemed  literally  inexhaustible,  and 
to  the  end  never  gave  out.  From  Chinese  dwellings 
within  the  lines,  or  without,  were  procured  enormous 
quantities  of  clothing  most  useful  for  the  destitute 
Chinese  Christians,  until  their  wants  in  all  directions 
were  amply  supplied,  much  being  sold  at  auction  for  their 
benefit. 

Materials  for  the  defence  were  discovered  in  many 
places,  notably  in  a blacksmith's  shop,  where  were  ob- 
tained an  anvil,  bellows,  smelting-pots,  and  best  of  all, 
an  old  Chinese  cannon  which  proved  invaluable.  It  was 
mounted  on  an  Italian  carriage,  loaded  with  Russian  shell 
refilled  by  the  British  armourer,  charged  with  Chinese 


512 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


powder,  and  fired  by  an  American  gunner — justly  termed 
the  “ International  Gun.”  In  many  shops  and  houses 
were  found  britannia-ware  to  the  extent  of  several  cart- 
loads, much  of  which  was  used  in  making  balls  for  the 
cannon,  and  shot  for  the  Italian  one-pound  gun,  besides 
many  bullets.  Of  all  the  miscellaneous  stuff  which  came 
to  hand,  very  little  proved  amiss  in  the  end. 

8.  The  restraining  hand  of  God  upon  the  Chinese. 
When  foreigners  were  on  their  way  to  the  Legations, 
and  everything  was  in  a chaotic  state,  the  Chinese  might 
readily  have  annihilated  the  whole  body  at  a blow.  While 
the  Chinese  held  the  city  wall,  they  could  easily  have 
made  every  Legation  uninhabitable  if  they  had  used  the 
right  means.  Rifle  shots  alone  would  have  been  suffi- 
cient. 

Then  they  adopted  well-chosen  plans  to  burn  the 
British  Legation,  by  the  spread  of  fires  set  on  the  out- 
side. Of  these  attacks,  three  were  fierce,  persistent,  and 
dangerous  in  the  extreme.  Yet  in  the  end  they  not  only 
all  failed,  but  we  were  left  in  each  case  in  a stronger  posi- 
tion than  before.  More  than  once  the  wind  suddenly 
veered  about,  saving  us  from  what  appeared  to  be  immi- 
nent destruction.  Buildings  being  removed  which  shel- 
tered the  enemy  and  which  might  spread  fires  in  our  Lega- 
tion limits,  we  were  better  protected.  The  destruction  of 
the  Hanlin  Yuan  was  the  means  of  extending  our  line  of 
defence  a considerable  distance,  the  position  being  later 
made  almost  impregnable. 

More  terrible  than  all  else  was  the  threat  of  mining. 
This  we  knew  to  have  been  actually  begun  in  two  places, 
and  perhaps  elsewhere,  one  mine  in  a building  in  the 
Carriage  Park,  and  one  on  the  wall  near  our  most  ad- 
vanced post  to  the  west.  Why  were  these  mines  never 
finished? 


THE  HAND  OF  GOD  IN  THE  SIEGE  513 


The  Chinese  might  at  many  different  times  have  made 
a sudden  and  a violent  attack  at  a weak  point,  from  which 
it  would  have  been  difficult  to  defend  ourselves,  the  lines 
being  very  long  and  the  defenders  few.  Had  we  been 
attacked  by  European  or  Japanese  troops,  they  would  cer- 
tainly have  crept  down  the  edge  of  the  Canal  in  the  dark, 
where  our  rifles  could  not  command  them,  and  have 
rushed  the  front  gate.  Only  two  days  before  the  siege 
was  raised,  was  a platform  completed  for  the  planting  of 
a gun  to  prevent  this,  though,  owing  to  the  greater  peril 
elsewhere,  the  gun  was  never  mounted  upon  it.  A few 
hundred  Chinese,  willing  to  throw  away  their  lives  to 
ensure  the  capture  of  the  Legations,  would  have  taken 
them  at  any  moment  during  the  first  month  of  the  siege. 
Why  was  it  never  done,  or  even  attempted  ? The  Chinese 
were  in  some  way  kept  from  following  up  the  principal 
advantages  which  they  gained. 

At  the  very  beginning  of  the  siege  nearly  all  the  Lega- 
tions were  abandoned  in  a panic,  but  the  Chinese  did  not 
enter,  and  the  positions  were  reoccupied.  At  another 
time  the  city  wall  was  abandoned,  but  the  Chinese  did 
not  find  it  out  until  too  late,  and  it  was  at  once  retaken. 
When  the  new  battery  had  begun  to  play  on  the  house 
in  the  south  stable  court,  a few  shots  threatened  to  bring 
the  house  tumbling  down.  Rifles  attacked  the  battery 
and  it  was  withdrawn,  and  never  replanted  there. 

At  a later  date  shells  were  thrown  into  the  house  of 
the  Chinese  Secretary  in  a way  to  threaten  the  whole 
Legation,  as  well  as  that  one  dwelling.  Again  the  rifles 
assailed  the  gunners,  and  after  five  shots  the  battery  was 
withdrawn  permanently.  Time  after  time,  when  the 
gunners  appeared  to  have  got  the  exact  range,  the  shell- 
ing ceased.  The  very  last  night  of  the  siege  the  shells 
were  most  destructive,  but  only  ten  shots  were  fired,  and 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


5I4 

the  next  day  the  gun  was  gone.  The  most  terrible  en- 
gines of  destruction  were  rendered  comparatively  harm- 
less. 

It  has  been  estimated  that  between  a million  and  a 
half  and  two  million  bullets  must  have  been  discharged 
at  us.  In  some  of  the  earlier  attacks,  when  we  appeared 
to  be  surrounded  by  several  thousand  foes,  there  seemed 
to  be  124  shots  a minute,  or  more  than  two  a second. 
Yet  excluding  men  at  the  loopholes,  only  three  or  four 
persons  are  known  to  have  been  injured  by  these  bullets 
in  the  crowded  British  Legation,  where  there  were  prob- 
ably never  less  than  800  persons  on  an  average,  and  some- 
times over  1,000.  One  marine  was  killed  in  this  way, 
and  two  or  three  others  wounded,  and  the  last  day  of  the 
siege  two  civilians  were  scratched.  After  the  relieving 
force  had  entered  the  Legation,  the  only  injury  received 
by  any  lady  took  place.  No  child  was  hit,  though  the 
yards  swarmed  with  them. 

Careful  count  shows  the  number  of  shells  and  shots 
fired  at  all  the  Legations  during  the  siege  to  be  about 
2,900.  In  the  British  Legation  it  is  believed  that  no  one 
not  on  duty  at  the  loop-holes  was  ever  really  injured  by 
any  one  of  these,  although  a few  Chinese  were  hurt  by 
bricks  knocked  down  by  cannon  balls.  Hundreds  of  solid 
shot  fell  in  the  Hanlin  courts,  in  the  Ministers’  houses, 
and  in  other  crowded  places.  Why  were  these  innumer- 
able missiles  so  harmless?  For  a long  time  there  appeared 
to  be  from  twelve  to  fifteen  guns  playing  at  once.  Thir- 
teen bomb-proofs  were  laboriously  dug,  but  so  far  as  is 
known  not  one  of  them  was  ever  entered  to  escape  from 
a shell. 

9.  The  restraining  hand  of  God  in  warding  off  disease. 
The  overcrowding  was  excessive,  the  conditions  most 
unwholesome.  Orientals  are  impatient  of  sanitary  re- 


THE  HAND  OF  GOD  IN  THE  SIEGE  515 


straints.  Whooping-cough,  measles,  typhoid  and  scarlet 
fevers,  as  well  as  small-pox,  have  all  been  experienced 
during  the  siege,  by  both  foreigners  and  Chinese,  but 
there  was  no  contagion  to  speak  of,  and  no  epidemic. 
What  an  opportunity  for  the  development  of  Asiatic 
cholera ! Bad  and  insufficient  food  had  caused  consider- 
able mortality  among  Chinese  children,  and  the  aged,  but 
in  general  the  vital  statistics  have  been  extraordinary. 
There  was  no  known  case  of  heat-stroke,  and  for  this 
latitude  the  weather  throughout  was  phenomenal. 

The  physicians  available  for  service  were  exceedingly 
numerous  and  skilful.  One  of  the  most  intelligent  pa- 
tients declared  that  in  no  hospital  in  the  civilized  world 
would  better  care  and  more  tender  nursing  be  secured. 
Lady  doctors  laid  aside  all  professional  etiquette,  and 
were  content  to  act  simply  as  nurses.  Under  the  circum- 
stances, the  percentage  of  losses  in  the  hospital  cannot 
be  considered  large,  especially  among  so  many  serious 
cases. 

10.  The  Lord  sent  a spirit  of  confusion  among  our 
enemies,  who  feared  us  far  more  than  we  feared  them. 
Their  most  savage  attacks  seemed  designed  to  prevent  us 
from  making  sorties  which  they  exceedingly  dreaded  and 
tried  in  every  way  to  prevent. 

On  our  part  there  was  a spirit  of  unity  rare  to  see. 
Greek,  Roman  Catholic  and  Protestant  Christians  frater- 
nized as  never  before.  We  represented  every  country 
in  Europe  except  Turkey  and  Greece,  besides  three  in 
Asia,  and  the  United  States.  What  a Noah’s  Ark!  Yet 
the  thought  of  Plato  and  the  hint  of  Cicero,  concerning 
“ the  common  bond  ” which  links  the  whole  human  race 
was  seldom  more  strongly  felt,  realizing  the  idea  of  Paul 
that  we  are  all  members  one  of  another.  Amid  political 
and  military  jealousies  this  fact  will  remain  a precious 


5*6 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


memory.  The  harmony  of  the  defended  was  well  matched 
by  the  bravery  of  their  defenders. 

In  all  these  things  we  see  the  Hand  of  God  in  the  Siege 
in  Peking.  In  many  of  its  aspects  it  is  fully  and  com- 
prehensively anticipated  in  Psalm  CXXIV,  especially  the 
seventh  verse,  which  was  sent  home  as  a telegram  the 
day  after  relief  came.  We  honour  the  living  for  their 
heroism  in  defending  us.  We  cherish  the  memory  of  the 
brave  dead.  But  most  of  all  we  thank  the  Lord  who 
brought  us  through  fire  and  water  into  a healthy  place. 


XXVIII 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  PEKING 

FORTY  years  have  elapsed  since  the  first  occupa- 
tion of  the  capital  of  China  by  European  troops, 
in  i860.  At  that  time,  every  consideration  was 
shown  to  the  feelings  of  the  Chinese : the  city  was  left 
uninjured,  and  within  a month  of  their  first  entry  the 
troops  were  withdrawn  from  within  the  walls.  Great 
things  were  hoped  from  the  blow  to  the  national  pride 
involved  in  this  brief  occupancy.  It  was  confidently  ex- 
pected that  it  would  prove  the  death-blow  to  the  old 
stubborn  arrogancy  that  has  so  long  looked  down  upon 
the  foreigner  as  an  outcast  and  a barbarian,  and  made 
Peking  a closed  city  to  the  outside  world. 

But  after  more  than  a generation  of  intercourse  with 
Europeans,  Peking  must  still  be  called  an  anti-foreign 
city  from  first  to  last. 

Although  the  Yamen  Ministers  have  gone  to  the  Lega- 
tions for  occasional  banquets,  it  has  always  been  notice- 
able that  there  were  no  return  visits  at  their  own  homes, 
and  the  effort  to  introduce  such  an  innovation  a few 
years  since  was  a blank  failure.  Except  in  the  case  of 
the  missionaries,  it  is  still  true  that  the  homes  of  the 
city  are  tightly  closed  to  the  outsider. 

The  number  of  treatments  in  the  various  hospitals,  es- 
pecially in  the  pioneer  one  of  the  London  Mission,  has 
amounted  to  hundreds  of  thousands — perhaps  even  to  a 
million  or  more — and  many  wide  and  effectual  doors  have 

5i7 


5 1 8 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


thus  been  opened  to  the  Chinese  heart ; but,  taking  Peking 
as  a whole,  it  has  remained  irreconcilable  in  its  contempt 
and  hate. 

It  has  long  been  known  that  the  native  pundits  who 
teach  foreigners  the  language  would  not  recognize  their 
pupils  on  the  street  should  they  meet  them,  because,  what- 
ever their  private  views  might  be,  to  do  so  would  cause 
the  pundit  to  lose  “ face,”  or  self-respect.  And  what 
was  true  of  scholars  was  to  a considerable  degree  the 
case  also  with  the  tradesmen,  who  were  willing  enough 
to  absorb  the  foreign  dollars,  but  who  despised  their 
owners.  The  same  was  also  true  to  a large  extent  of  the 
working  class — even  the  coolies — who  felt  themselves 
immeasurably  the  superiors  of  those  for  whom  they  toiled 
— a view  not,  perhaps,  unlike  that  entertained  by  the 
Jews  in  Babylon  toward  their  conquerors. 

The  southern  city  of  Peking  has  always  prided  itself 
upon  being  far  more  pronouncedly  anti-foreign  than  the 
Tartar  city.  It  has  steadily  resisted  every  effort  to  buy 
a foot  of  its  sacred  soil  for  missionary  purposes,  and  if 
there  have  been  occasional  exceptions  in  the  success  of 
such  attempts,  they  have  but  served  to  emphasize  the 
general  rule. 

Such  has  been  the  response  of  the  capital  to  the  first 
foreign  occupation,  when  leniency  and  magnanimity  of 
treatment  were  scrupulously  observed.  The  second  occu- 
pancy has  occurred  under  circumstances  widely  different 
from  the  first,  and  with  consequences  never  to  be  for- 
gotten by  the  Chinese.  If  the  crimes  that  led  to  it  were 
of  a singular  atrocity,  their  punishment  also  has  been  of  a 
singular  completeness. 

When  the  Boxers  first  arrived  in  practically  limitless 
numbers,  they  were  distributed  like  soldiers  all  over  the 
city,  and  fed,  as  soldiers  often  (but  not  always)  are,  at 


RAILWAY  STATION,  PEKING  POLICE  STATION,  PEKING 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  PEKING  519 


the  expense  of  the  people.  This  would  have  been  a heavy 
tax,  but  it  was  followed  by  much  worse.  In  order  “ to 
guard  the  Legations,”  the  large  detachments  of  the  troops 
of  Jung  Lu,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  provincial  army, 
and  of  General  Tung  were  brought  in.  These  soldiers 
were  related  to  the  Boxers  much  as  scorpions  to  grass- 
hoppers. 

Between  them  the  city  was  reduced  to  an  acute  pitch 
of  misery  such  as  it  had  never  known  since  the  arrival  of 
foreigners.  Many  families  were  extinguished,  and  in 
others  only  one  or  two  out  of  eight  or  ten  members  re- 
mained alive.  Hundreds  of  house  doors  were  walled  up 
entirely,  which  often  meant  that  there  was  no  one  left. 
The  savages  from  the  province  of  Kansu  who  followed 
General  Tung  speak  a strange  dialect  almost  unintelligible 
to  the  Pekingese,  but  they  have  written  their  names  in 
blood.  They  are  to  the  Chinese  in  Peking  what  the 
Chaldeans  from  afar  were  to  the  ancient  Jews,  “ a hasty 
and  a bitter  people.” 

The  ruin  of  all  Christian  property  was  but  the  be- 
ginning of  destruction.  During  the  week  of  burn- 
ing, the  relatively  few  foreign  houses  by  no  means  suf- 
ficed to  quench  the  unquenchable  thirst  for  places  to 
loot  and  to  destroy.  On  some  days  one  could  count  six  or 
eight  distinct  fires  in  different  quarters,  the  greatest  of 
them  all  being  the  destructive  conflagration  outside  the 
Front  Gate,  in  the  southern  city,  where  were  situated  the 
richest  shops  and  the  most  flourishing  trade  of  Peking. 

When  it  was  once  more  possible  for  foreigners  to 
traverse  the  streets  of  the  city,  the  desolation  which  met 
the  eye  was  appalling.  Dead  bodies  of  soldiers  lay  singly 
or  in  heaps,  in  some  instances  covered  with  a torn  old 
mat,  but  always  a prey  to  the  now  well-fed  pariah  dogs. 
Indeed,  dead  dogs  and  dead  horses  poisoned  the  air  of 


520 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


every  region.  The  huge  pools  of  stagnant  water  were 
reeking  with  putrid  corpses  of  man  and  beast ; lean  cats 
stared  wildly  at  the  passer-by  from  holes  broken  in  the 
fronts  of  shops  boasting  such  signs  as  “ Perpetual  Abun- 
dance,” “ Springs  of  Plenty,”  “ Ten  Thousand  Prosperi- 
ties,” and  the  oft-quoted  maxim  from  the  Great  Learning, 
“ There  is  a highway  to  the  production  of  wealth.”  One 
might  read  over  the  door  of  a place  thrice  looted,  and 
lying  in  utter  ruin,  the  cheerful  motto,  “ Peace  and  Tran- 
quillity.” For  miles  upon  miles  of  the  busiest  streets  of 
the  northern  and  southern  city  not  a single  shop  was  open 
for  business,  and  scarcely  a group  of  persons  was  any- 
where to  be  seen. 

But  the  capital  of  the  Chinese  Empire  had  no  sooner 
been  occupied  by  the  Allies  and  its  territory  distributed 
for  purposes  of  patrol  among  the  several  military  contin- 
gents represented,  than  the  Chinese  began  to  adapt  them- 
selves to  the  new  relations  with  the  same  ease  with  which 
water  fits  itself  to  the  dish  into  which  it  is  poured.  The 
Japanese,  having  the  command  of  the  Chinese  written 
language,  were  the  first  to  enter  this  new  field,  and  in 
three  days  the  whole  city  was  inundated  with  little  flags 
with  a red  disc  in  the  middle,  and  thousands  of  doors 
began  to  be  ornamented  with  the  legend : “ Compliant 
subjects  of  the  Great  Japanese  Nation.”  For  some  time 
it  was  common  to  meet  Chinese  with  such  flags,  the 
upper  space  blank,  and  only  the  words  “ compliant  sub- 
jects ” inserted,  the  nation  to  which  they  gave  their 
adherence  being  left  to  be  filled  in  later — a striking  com- 
mentary on  the  “ patriotism  ” of  the  Chinese.  Of  ten 
men  on  the  streets,  eight  would  probably  be  furnished 
with  flags  of  different  lands  (in  cheap  imitation  only, 
and  much  the  worse  for  a heavy  shower).  The  advice 
so  often  given  by  Chinese  to  one  another  not  to  “ follow 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  PEKING 


521 


foreigners  ” has,  then,  brought  about  this  result,  prob- 
ably unique  in  the  history  of  mankind. 

Not  only  were  flags  made  the  symbol  of  allegiance  to 
other  and  unknown  countries,  but  the  English  language 
was  tortured  to  compel  it  to  announce  this  allegiance. 
“ Belong  Japan  ” was  the  notice  on  an  old  shed  in  the 
great  Ha  Ta  street.  “ Noble  and  good  Sirs,”  read  another 
placard,  “ please  do  not  shoot  us.  We  are  good  people.” 
Surely  never  was  there  stranger  and  more  unanticipated 
fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  that  “ the  sons  of  them  that 
afflicted  thee  shall  come  bending  unto  thee,”  than  the  cir- 
cumstance that  within  a few  doors  of  a temple  which 
served  as  a Boxer  headquarters  one  read  the  surprising 
legend,  “ God  Christianity  men,”  while  the  remainder  of 
the  alley  was  decorated  with  the  reiterated  petition,  “ Pray 
officer  excuse.  Here  good  people.” 

There  was  not  only  no  business  doing  in  Peking  in 
the  early  months  of  the  occupation,  but  the  very  sources 
of  commercial  prosperity  had  been  cut  up  by  the  roots. 
In  the  northern  city  were  four  allied  banks,  each  with 
the  character  “ Heng,”  denoting  Perpetuity,  and  the  syn- 
dicate (supposed  to  be  owned  by  a eunuch  of  the  Palace) 
was  considered  as  safe  as  the  Bank  of  England.  In 
the  third  week  in  June  the  Chinese  soldiers  plundered 
each  of  the  Perpetuities,  which  have  ceased  to  exist — 
as  for  a time  did  all  other  cash-shops  and  banks.  The 
streets  were  abundantly  supplied  with  bank-bills,  which 
blew  hither  and  thither  with  the  gusts  of  wind  and  the 
swirls  of  dust,  and  were  impartially  nosed  over  in  the 
gutters  by  the  few  surviving  dogs. 

It  was  not  many  months,  however,  ere  the  shrewd 
Chinese  had  a system  of  cash-shops  once  more  in  opera- 
tion, greatly  modified  by  the  inrush  of  foreign  dollars 
which  now  became  the  standard  currency  of  the  city. 


522 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


During  the  extreme  political  uncertainties  of  the  winter, 
it  sometimes  happened  that  the  price  of  silver  in  terms 
of  Peking  cash  suddenly  advanced,  at  one  time  to  the 
extent  of  twenty-five  per  cent  within  a period  of  about 
three  weeks.  This  was  supposed  to  be  because  silver  can 
be  buried  with  facility,  while  brass  cash  is  much  too  bulky, 
and  it  was  considered  only  prudent  to  confide  one’s 
bullion  to  Mother  Earth,  who,  when  not  tampered  with, 
is  practically  the  only  safe  banker  in  the  Empire. 

That  the  gates  of  Peking,  so  intimately  associated  in  the 
minds  of  all  Orientals  with  the  safety  of  the  people,  suf- 
fered severely  during  and  after  the  siege  has  been  al- 
ready mentioned.  The  Boxers  were  responsible  for  in- 
directly igniting  the  outer  tower  of  the  Ch’ien  Men  dur- 
ing their  costly  conflagration  of  June  13th,  and  the  inner 
tower  was  set  on  fire  accidentally  through  the  carelessness 
of  a signal  party  after  the  British  troops  were  in  posses- 
sion. 

The  outer  tower  of  the  Ha  Ta  gate  also  disappeared 
in  flames  and  smoke  during  those  stormy  days,  while  that 
of  the  Ch’i  Hua  Men  was  destroyed  by  the  Japanese  on 
their  entry.  After  the  foreign  soldiers  took  charge  of 
Peking  the  city  gates  were  never  closed  at  all,  the  de- 
pendence for  security  being  not  upon  the  wall  but  upon 
the  guards  and  the  sentries  at  the  outposts. 

The  first  instinct  of  the  Occidental  on  taking  posses- 
sion of  a Chinese  city  is  to  provide  facile  means  of  ingress 
and  egress.  The  Chinese’ seldom  make  gates  except  in 
the  middle  of  the  walls  on  each  face  of  the  city,  to  the 
great  inconvenience  of  traffic  and  with  a waste  of  time 
utterly  intolerable  to  Westerners.  Peking  had  not  been 
occupied  three  days  before  the  hole  already  mentioned 
had  been  blown  through  the  walls  into  the  Imperial 
City,  at  the  head  of  the  canal  above  the  British  Lega- 


CHIEN  MEN  GATE,  PEKING  „ RUINS  OF  CH1EN  MEN  GATE 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  PEKING  523 

tion,  and  this  has  ever  since  been  an  important  thor- 
oughfare. At  a point  more  than  half-way  up  the  east 
face  of  the  same  wall  another  slit  was  cut  also,  wide 
enough  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  carts,  saving  many 
hours  of  time  in  crossing  the  city.  But  the  greatest 
innovation  of  all  was  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
Tartar  City,  where  the  British  dug  a tunnel  quite 
through  the  entire  outer  wall,  making  an  arch,  securely 
boarded  in,  and  labeled  in  Chinese  “ English  Gate.”  It 
has  a barricade  on  the  outside  and  on  the  inside,  and  has 
become  indispensable  to  foreigners,  although  the  Chinese 
will  doubtless  hasten  to  close  it  up  when  they  have  the 
power.  The  cutting  thus  laboriously  drilled  through  the 
tough  concrete,  on  which  dynamite  is  said  to  have  made 
but  a faint  impression,  gave  an  interesting  exhibition  of 
the  internal  anatomy  of  the  fourteen  and  a quarter  miles 
of  this  vast  protecting  rampart,  which  after  all  failed  to 
protect. 

During  the  spring  there  was  witnessed  the  remarkable 
spectacle  of  the  demolition  by  the  Royal  Engineers  of 
the  south-western  tower  at  the  corner  of  the  wall  of  the 
northern  city,  that  its  timbers  might  be  employed  for 
the  rehabilitated  railway  to  Tientsin.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered by  those  who  have  ever  visited  the  Capital  of  China 
that  each  face  of  these  towers  has  eight  and  forty  little 
windows  each  provided  with  the  board  shutter  on  which 
is  painted  the  picture  of  the  mouth  of  a cannon — a not 
inapt  symbol  of  the  general  defences  of  Peking. 

Directly  in  front  of  the  Temple  of  Heaven  was  the  new 
terminus  of  the  Tientsin  and  Peking  Railway,  formerly 
at  Ma  Cilia  P’u,  a mile  or  two  outside  the  southern  city. 
A huge  breach  was  made  in  the  wall  of  the  southern 
city,  through  which  the  trains  enter,  reminding  the 
traveller  of  old  York  in  England — an  innovation  for 


524 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


which,  but  for  the  Boxers,  we  might  have  waited  long. 
In  front  of  the  station  stretched  a long  row  of  electric 
lights,  the  plant  of  which  was  rescued 'from  the  Summer 
Palace  by  the  British,  and  was  now  for  the  first  time  made 
useful. 

The  carts  and  wagons  which  cluster  about  the  sta- 
tion on  arrival  of  the  trains  were  kept  from  overrun- 
ning the  platform  by  a long  line  of  stone  posts  with 
a familiar  look.  One  face  read  K Southwest  boundary 
Wang  Family,”  and  the  next  “ Northeast  boundary  Chang 
Family.”  They  came  from  the  corners  of  cemeteries  in 
the  country,  the  practical  and  unsentimental  Occidental 
soldier  finding  the  removal  of  these  landmarks  the  easiest 
way  to  accomplish  his  end. 

The  original  terminus  of  the  Lu-Han  Railway,  one  of 
the  first  enterprises  of  this  sort  undertaken  by  the  Chinese 
Government,  was  placed  at  Lu  Kuo  Ch’iao,  on  the  Yung 
Ting  (or  Hun)  river,  so  as  to  be  at  a safe  distance  from 
the  Capital.  During  the  military  occupation  it  appeared 
to  be  a suitable  opportunity  to  extend  the  line  directly 
to  Peking,  no  questions  being  likely  to  be  asked.  This 
was  accordingly  done,  and  a hole  was  blown  in  the  west 
wall  of  the  southern  city,  and  the  rails  laid  near  the 
dividing  wall  between  the  cities  and  parallel  with  it. 
The  station  was  fixed  just  outside  the  Ch’ien  Men. 

The  British  military  authorities,  on  the  other  hand, 
determined  upon  a line  to  the  Peiho  at  T’ung  Chou,  which 
was  at  once  begun  on  the  same  facile  terms.  The  em- 
bankment passes  through  the  enceinte  of  the  Ha  Ta  gate, 
to  a station  just  outside  the  water  gate  through  which 
the  British  relieving  force  entered  the  city ; from  the  Ha 
Ta  gate  eastward  it  passes  under  the  wall  in  a direct 
line,  through  a breach  in  the  wall  of  the  southern  city. 

Thus  T’ung  Chou,  which  cut  off  its  own  hope  by  refus- 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  PEKING  525 


ing  the  railway  when  it  was  first  projected,  may  yet 
through  its  agency  be  raised,  as  it  were,  from  the  dead. 

The  plan  of  the  Allies  in  this  and  numerous  other  im- 
provements appears  to  be  to  introduce  practical  ameliora- 
tions of  existing  conditions  which  may  have  to  be 
defended  by  pressure  for  a few  years,  after  which  it  is 
hoped  that  the  Chinese  will  so  thoroughly  appreciate 
them  that  there  will  be  no  call  for  a return  to  the  previous 
conditions. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  because  Western  modes 
of  transportation  are  increasingly  employed,  Asia  is  sud- 
denly to  be  hustled  into  the  abandonment  of  its  past  and 
of  its  traditions.  Perhaps  the  best  symbol  of  that  past 
and  its  traditions  is  the  patient,  slow,  but  sure-footed 
camel,  who  has  always  abounded  in  Peking  streets,  “ a 
prince  in  winter,  a beggar  in  summer,”  with  bits  of  hair 
here  and  there  clinging  to  his  almost  bare  hide.  The  long 
lines  which  used  to  be  seen  loaded  with  tea  for  Russia 
have  disappeared,  but  droves  of  them  are  still  bringing 
coal  from  the  western  hills  as  of  yore.  It  is  a Chinese 
adage  that  when  the  camel  carries  despatches,  whatever 
may  be  said  of  his  speed,  he  is  at  least  sure.  Attentive 
contemplation  of  their  apparently  expressionless  visage 
may  reveal  the  ground-plan  of  a sly  half-wink,  as  if  the 
leader  of  the  long  line  of  deliberate  creatures  were  calmly 
ruminating  thus : “ Ah ! I perceive  that  you  believe  you 
could  get  on  and  not  use  me.  Ah ! you  were  wrong,  as 
you  shall  see ; for  I am  strong,  I can  wait  long ; here  I 
belong ; long  after  you  and  yours  are  gone,  here  I shall 
be.” 

The  numerous  jinrikishas  which  had  begun  to  form  so 
prominent  a feature  in  Peking,  and  which  were  so  utterly 
extinguished  by  the  siege  and  its  concomitants,  again 
became  all-pervasive,  forming  a useful  link  in  the  not  too 


526 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


abundant  facilities  for  locomotion.  Carts  once  more  began 
to  ply  for  hire,  at  rates  somewhat  advanced  above  those  of 
former  days,  and  the  streets,  including  the  few  which  had 
been  metaled,  after  being  badly  worn  by  the  heavy  army 
and  other  traffic,  were  repaired,  although  but  superficially, 
if  at  all,  by  the  military  authorities. 

In  ordinary  times  the  dust  is  partly  laid  by  throwing 
on  the  roads  all  the  waste  water  of  the  city,  but  for  many 
months  this  was  altogether  pretermitted,  and  the  result 
was  such  depths  of  loose,  friable  soil  as  passed  all  pre- 
vious experience,  which  was  already  sufficiently  painful. 
The  whole  winter  may  be  said  to  have  been  one  semi- 
continuous  dust-storm,  reducing  life  to  its  lowest 
terms,  although  the  climate  is  not  in  itself  objec- 
tionable. 

Under  the  military  government  of  the  city,  Peking 
was  lighted  at  night  as  it  had  never  been  before, 
in  many  places  every  house  being  required  to  maintain  a 
lamp  at  the  door.  Even  on  the  walls  of  the  Imperial 
City,  and  in  places  where  heretofore  there  had  usually 
reigned  Cimmerian  darkness,  small  kerosene  lamps  shone 
clear,  enabling  the  traveller  to  see  his  way  with  sufficient 
distinctness.  Even  the  smaller  alleys  were  thus  lit  to 
some  extent,  and  in  the  larger  streets,  as  outside  the 
Ch’ien  Men,  the  effect  was  not  unlike  that  of  a Western 
row  of  street  lamps.  The  military  also  endeavoured  to 
teach  the  Chinese  how  to  keep  their  streets  and  alleys 
clean,  an  art  never  previously  acquired  in  the  capital  of 
China.  Had  the  occupation  of  the  city  been  prolonged, 
there  ought  to  have  been  a marked  improvement  in  its  san- 
itation as  a whole ; but  that  the  Chinese  themselves  will 
ever  adopt  and  enforce  regulations  like  these  is  too  much 
to  expect.  As  the  saying  goes,  “ When  the  windlass  stops, 
the  garden-beds  dry  up.” 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  PEKING 


527 

The  huge  piles  of  lime  which  during  the  siege  were 
so  conspicuous  in  readiness  for  the  repair  of  the  Peking 
highways,  were  absorbed  by  military  or  by  private  indi- 
viduals, who  will  doubtless  never  again  find  such  material 
so  conveniently  provided.  A huge  combination  of  cap- 
ital had  a “ corner  ” on  all  the  lime-kilns  in  the  Western 
Hills  region,  as  well  as  on  all  the  brick-kilns,  and  expected 
to  realize  great  sums  when  rebuilding  once  set  in. 

The  siege  barricades  were  everywhere  entirely  re- 
moved, and  the  British  Legation  was  soon  put  into 
its  normal  trim  and  tidy  condition.  But  the  wall  at  the 
extreme  end  of  the  north  stables  was  left  as  the  reliev- 
ing forces  found  it,  battered  by  the  incessant  impact 
of  bullets,  shot,  and  shell,  the  whole  surmounted  by  a 
damaged  lookout,  surmounted  by  decaying  sand-bags, 
while  beneath  on  the  outer  face  of  the  wall  are  printed 
in  bold  capitals  the  significant  words : “ lest  we 

FORGET.” 

The  disposition  of  the  refuse  from  the  cavalry  stables 
appeared  to  have  been  a perplexing  problem.  It  was  ill 
solved  by  making  huge  winrows  in  the  spacious  broad- 
ways in  front  of  the  Imperial  City  on  the  south,  forming 
a perpetual  Gehenna,  where  lean  and  mangy  dogs 
during  the  bitter  winter  weather  reposed  in  peace  and 
security  on  the  warm  and  reeking  manure  piles.  One 
of  the  military  eccentricities  was  the  renaming  of  all 
the  Peking  streets,  one  being  “ Gaselee  Road,”  another 
“ Stewart  Road,”  etc.,  so  that  when  an  American  sol- 
dier informed  one  that  his  barracks  were  at  “ the  comer 
of  Ave.  A and  5th  St.”  in  the  southern  city,  it  was  neces- 
sary7 to  study  a new  map. 

The  presence  of  so  many  foreigners  in  the  Capital  ren- 
dered the  pursuit  of  philological  researches  both  easy 
and  fascinating.  One  of  the  more  recent  arrivals  wished 


528 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


to  know  why  the  Chinese  were  always  saying  “ Quite 
so,”  and  what  they  meant  by  it.  It  turned  out  to  be 
merely  a reflection  of  the  impatient  foreigner,  whose  most 
imperious  demand  is  k’uai-tsou  (go  on  fast  ) Still 
another  thoughtful  observer  noticed  the  singular  fact  that 
the  Chinese  appeared  familiar  with  one  of  the  most  doubt- 
ful of  French  novelists,  and  frequently  spoke  his  name 
— “ Zola,”  tsou-la  (gone)  ! 

The  one  phrase  of  pure  and  unadulterated  Pekingese 
which  is  more  certain  to  be  heard  than  any  other,  is  the 
expression  “ Pukou  pen’rh  ” — meaning  that  the  sum  of 
money  supposed  to  have  been  mentioned  is  less  than  the 
article  cost.  It  is  said  that  “ poko  ” is  a Filipino  word, 
meaning  “ a little,”  and  it  was  soon  introduced  into 
Pekingese  as  a new  slang  phrase  with  a wide  range  of 
meaning.  A defective  postage-stamp  was  " pukou 
pen’rh,'’  and  so  was  a lad  who  failed  to  win  a race  with 
his  fellow,  or  a lamp  chimney  with  a flaw. 

The  city  in  which  all  foreigners  were  but  lately  stormed 
at  with  shot  and  shell,  now  began  to  display  posters  in 
Chinese  informing  the  natives  at  what  places  schools 
might  be  found  where  English,  French,  Russian,  or  Jap- 
anese could  be  learned.  The  walls  of  the  entrances  to 
the  Forbidden  city  bore  huge  hand-bills  notifying  the 
whereabouts  of  the  “ Y.  M.  C.  A.  Reading,  Writing,  and 
Coffee  Rooms,”  while  on  West  Legation  street  might  be 
observed  the  announcement  printed  in  neat  capitals : 
“ The  work-shop  in  which  any  iron-work  are  pro- 
posed.” French  and  German  advertisements  everywhere 
abounded,  and  the  main  street  of  the  southern  city  bris- 
tled with  notifications  in  every  leading  European  lan- 
guage, as  well  as  in  Japanese;  they  were  of  every'  variety, 
from  a barber’s  shop  with  its  colored  pole,  to  the  per- 
emptory' announcement  at  the  railway  station  in  front  of 


M.  t.  A.  HEADQUARTERS,  l’EKING  STREET  PANORAMA,  PEKING 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  PEKING  529 

the  Temple  of  Heaven  : “ No  Admittance  Except  on  Bus- 
iness.” 

The  Winter  Palace,  within  the  innermost  recesses  of 
what  the  troops  have  dubbed  “ The  Sacred  City,”  was  vis- 
ited during-  the  winter  by  many  thousand  persons,  mili- 
tary and  civil,  and  later  by  a stream  of  tourists,  and  while 
all  of  its  buildings  may  not  have  been  entered,  the  greater 
part  of  them  are  now  as  familiar  to  us  as  the  palaces  at 
Versailles,  and  have  been  photographed  times  without 
number.  It  has  been  well  known  that  from  the  very  first 
opening  of  these  apartments  to  the  select  circle,  the  curios 
and  bric-a-brac  began  to  disappear,  until,  ere  weeks  had 
passed  nothing  portable  was  left  in  sight,  and  but  little  of 
any  kind  which  would  be  worth  carrying  away.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  much  still  remains  within  the  storehouses  and 
treasuries  with  which  the  residences  of  princes  and  the 
Imperial  family  are  amply  provided;  but  for  the  exclusive 
and  haughty  Manchus  who  have  so  long  ruled  China,  it 
is  difficult  to  regard  their  abodes  as  other  than  hopelessly 
defiled  by  the  contamination  of  the  Barbarian  for  so  many 
moons. 

There  were  left  the  foreign  musical  instruments,  an 
organ,  a baby-organ,  and  a piano,  all  horribly  out  of 
tune,  together  with  a pile  of  books  in  the  Emperor’s 
library,  some  silk-covered  mattresses  on  the  divans 
(stuffed  with  cotton),  and  the  usual  worthless  bric-a-brac 
of  the  Chinese  mansion,  all  that  is  really  valuable  having 
been  removed  to  some  other  sphere  of  usefulness.  Some 
time  ago  there  was  the  huge  brass  (or  bronze?)  elephant 
with  his  preposterous  accompaniments  of  a train,  but  like 
the  real  animals  in  the  city  he  seems  to  have  gone  the 
way  of  the  rest,  and  perhaps  some  time  when  a visitor’s 
vest-pockets  had  an  unusual  bulge,  it  was  owing  to  this 
two  foot  monstrosity  tucked  carelessly  away  inside ! 


53° 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


As  the  restrictions  upon  entering  became  more  strin- 
gent, the  number  of  doors  closed  up  with  a long  type- 
written set  of  rules  and  regulation  multiplied,  until  there 
were  many  places,  once  easy  of  access,  closed  to  all 
comers.  And  the  public  was  politely  requested  not  to 
kick  the  Chinese  attendants  because  they  declined  to  open 
doors  which  they  were  forbidden  to  unlock.  This  cau- 
tion was  not  unnecessary,  as  the  demeanour  of  the  mili- 
tary portion  of  the  visitors  frequently  demonstrated. 
They  are  used  to  being  minded  without  question,  and  to 
have  a “ heathen  Chinee  ” refuse  to  do  what  they  told 
him  was  intolerable. 

On  the  whole  the  more  minute  and  reiterated  inspec- 
tion of  the  “ Palaces  ” was  disappointing.  We  knew  all 
the  while  that  they  must  be  much  the  same  as  other 
Chinese  elegant  dwellings,  yet  we  had  a secret  hope  that 
it  would  prove  otherwise.  To  begin  with,  courts  in  the 
Winter  Palace  are  surprisingly  small  in  area,  and  one 
is  not  without  a feeling  of  pity  for  an  Empress  and  an 
Emperor  who  should  have  to  put  up  with  much  smaller 
breathing-places  between  their  dwellings  than  some  of 
their  humbler  subjects.  Why  the  palaces  were  laid  out 
on  such  a scrimped  pattern  is  as  unaccountable  as  the  like 
phenomenon  in  the  village  hamlet,  where  the  land,  being 
worth  absolutely  nothing  at  all,  is  treated  as  if  it  were  the 
corner-lot  of  a city,  and  must  not  be  wasted.  Taking 
into  account  the  far  ampler  accommodations  of  the  build- 
ings used  as  headquarters  by  Count  von  Waldersee  and 
the  German  officers,  it  is  easy  to  see  why  they  should  have 
gradually  displaced  in  favour  the  others  in  the  more 
“ Forbidden  City  ” itself. 

This  “Western  Court”  (Hsi  Yuan),  which  has  long 
been  the  city  home  of  the  Empress  Dowager  and  the 
Emperor,  is  situated  to  the  west  of  the  main  Forbidden 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  PEKING  531 

City,  to  which  it  forms  a species  of  annex.  The  abode 
of  the  former  (called  Ying  T’ai)  was  the  handsomest 
building  in  Peking,  with  rich  black-wood  carving  adapted 
to  entrance  the  eye  (and  to  hold  the  dust)  in  an  unusual 
degree.  In  the  adjacent  courts  there  were  theatres,  lotus- 
ponds,  and  endless  pavilions,  while  at  the  south-western 
angle  there  was  a stretch  of  what  is  probably  the  most 
extensive  and  elaborate  rock-work  in  China,  so  skilfully 
concealing  the  relatively  small  areas  of  the  enclosure  that 
the  general  effect  was  that  of  intricate  labyrinths,  though 
the  whole  tract  is  but  a few  rods  in  width. 

Still  further  east  is  the  palace  of  the  Emperor  (Nan 
Hai  Tzu)  in  which  for  many  months  he  was  confined 
upon  an  island  in  gilded  misery,  daily  sitting  on  the  ter- 
race on  the  southern  side  overlooking  the  lake,  and  vainly 
longing  for  a turn  in  the  wheel  of  Fortune,  which,  when 
at  last  it  came,  by  no  means  brought  the  relief  expected. 

On  the  night  of  the  17th  of  April  the  Ying  T’ai  Palace 
of  the  Empress  Dowager  was  largely  destroyed  by  a 
fierce  fire,  which  was  so  rapid  in  its  spread  that  the 
Commander-in-Chief  of  all  the  Armies  was  rescued 
through  a window,  while  his  Chief  of  Staff,  Gen. 
von  Schwartzhoff,  who  returned  to  his  room  to  save  val- 
uable papers,  was  burned  to  death  immediately.  It  is 
altogether  likely  that  these,  and  similar  disasters,  are 
largely  if  not  entirely  due  to  the  careless  manner  in  which 
Westerners  introduced  their  huge  stoves  into  the  fragile 
structures  designed  to  be  heated  only  by  braziers,  or  at 
most  by  coal  fires  under  the  brick  floor.  The  first  step 
taken  by  the  Occidental  is  to  build  brick  partitions,  and  to 
wall  in  the  verandas,  and  the  next  is  to  set  up  his  stoves 
with  pipes  of  all  sizes,  made  of  the  most  imperfect  ma- 
terials, protruding  through  the  flimsy  wooden  lattice-work 
at  all  heights  and  angles.  The  Chinese  servants,  in  the 


532 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


effort  to  suit  their  masters  and  keep  the  fires  always  hot, 
stuff  the  stoves  to  the  top  with  fuel,  and  then  leave  the 
stove  door  open  to  prevent  too  rapid  combustion.  With 
such  antecedents  the  consequences  experienced  are  almost 
inevitable. 

From  the  Nan  Hai  Tzu  to  the  Ying  T’ai,  and  northward 
along  additional  lotus-ponds,  extended  the  line  of  the  toy 
railway  built  for  the  delectation  of  His  Majesty,  where 
he  was  wont  to  ride  in  the  carriages  pushed  by  coolies  so 
as  to  insure  immunity  from  railway  accidents.  For  the 
accommodation  of  the  handsomely  furnished  cars  elabo- 
rate sheds  had  been  built,  but  the  vehicles  had  long  been 
entirely  exposed  to  the  weather,  and  during  the  rains  and 
snows  had  not  only  parted  with  their  elegant  varnish,  but 
likewise  with  every  scrap  of  plush  and  velvet  trimmings. 
A string  of  open  freight  cars  was  daily  employed  for 
removing  the  manure  from  the  stables  of  the  German 
cavalry. 

The  hitherto  inaccessible  Coal  Hill  became  greatly 
appreciated  by  the  Chinese  as  a recreation  park,  for  which 
it  was  much  frequented.  At  its  eastern  side  near  the  base 
is  pointed  out  the  gnarled  and  stunted  pine-tree  on  which 
the  last  Emperor  of  the  native  Ming  Dynasty  hung  him- 
self in  1644,  when  he  saw  that  the  Manchus  had  entered 
his  Capital  and  seized  his  Empire. 

In  the  beautiful  Iho  Park,  within  the  inclosure 
known  as  the  “ Summer  Palace,”  or  Wan  Shou  Shan, 
several  miles  northwest  of  Peking,  the  Empress  spent 
much  of  her  time,  and  it  was  here  that  she  was 
visited  by  her  favourites  in  the  official  ranks,  bring- 
ing word  of  everything  said  and  done  outside.  These 
spacious  and  beautiful  grounds,  known  as  the  Moun- 
tain of  Ten  Thousand  Ages,  were  in  i860  visited 
by  the  besom  of  destruction  as  a penalty  for  the 


COAL  HILL,  CHINESE  SERVING  GERMAN  OFFICERS 


SUMMER  PALACE  FROM  THE  LAKE 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  PEKING  533 


treachery  of  the  Imperial  Court  in  capturing  and  tortur- 
ing Sir  Harry  Parkes  and  others  while  protected  by  a flag 
of  truce.  Within  recent  years  the  buildings  have  been 
restored  to  something  of  their  pristine  beauty,  and  re- 
stocked with  those  elegant  adornments  inseparable  from 
Oriental  luxury. 

It  is  a strange  fate  which  has  overtaken  this  pleasure 
park  that,  at  the  expiration  of  just  forty  years  from  the 
former  destruction,  it  should  once  more  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  Barbarians,  and,  while  not  this  time  reduced 
to  absolute  ruins,  should  yet  be  unmercifully  looted.  Even 
the  huge  Buddhas  were  toppled  over  with  violence  to 
get  at  their  true  inwardness,  and  the  looters  have  often 
been  rewarded  by  securing  old  Chinese  treasury  notes 
dating  back  to  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  century. 

The  crowning  Temple  to  the  Five  Hundred  Buddhas, 
on  the  crest  of  the  hill,  which  almost  alone  escaped  the 
devastation  of  i860,  has  now  been  less  fortunate,  for  in 
some  unexplained  manner  a fire  was  started  in  it,  and 
though  its  structure  was  too  massive  to  fall,  its  walls  are 
blackened  and  cracked  from  the  effects  of  the  intense 
heat. 

From  the  lake  at  the  base  of  the  hill  upon  which  this 
Temple  stands  to  the  summit,  stretched  a splendid  suite 
of  apartments,  which  when  inspected  by  civilians  were 
found  to  be  scenes  of  wreck  and  ruin.  The  rooms  were 
littered  with  broken  fragments  of  carved  partitions,  and 
pieces  of  immense  plate-glass  windows,  while  prisms  of 
chandeliers  and  broken  bulbs  of  electric  lights  strewed 
the  floors.  That  portion  of  this  palace  assigned  to  British 
care  was  carefully  guarded  and  kept  in  fair  condition, 
while  all  bric-a-brac  still  remaining  was  removed  to  a 
place  of  safety  and  securely  guarded. 

The  fate  of  the  Imperial  palaces  in  falling  into  the 


534 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


hands  of  the  invader  was  matched  by  that  of  the  abodes 
of  the  Princes,  Dukes,  and  other  nobility,  all  of  which 
were  promptly  pitched  upon,  as  a “ military  necessity,” 
for  headquarters.  The  former  palace  of  Prince  Ch’un 
in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  city  in  which  the  present 
Emperor  was  bom  (and  which  therefore  had  to  be  given 
up  as  a residence  and  rebuilt  as  a family  temple)  was 
occupied  by  Gen.  Stewart.  Among  its  unique  features 
was  a model  of  a Chinese  junk  made  with  great  fidelity 
in  details,  but  built  on  a foundation  of  brick  and  stone 
in  an  artificial  pond,  where  the  occupants  might  go  and 
imagine  themselves  on  a voyage.  This  was  employed  by 
the  British  as  a small-pox  hospital ! 

A still  more  surprising  curiosity,  however,  was  a model 
of  a small  steam-boat  likewise  on  a rock-work  basis  in 
another  pond,  in  which  were  decks,  upper  and  lower, 
steering-wheel,  cabin  with  complete  set  of  berths,  each 
state-room  with  a foreign  lock,  etc.,  etc.,  all  complete. 
This  proved  a most  useful  mine  to  the  carpenters  in  refit- 
ting the  Fu  for  foreign  use,  and  all  the  cabin  flooring,  the 
locks,  gangways,  and  the  like,  were  unceremoniously 
transferred  to  the  rooms  of  the  General  and  his  staff. 

At  another  palace  in  the  neighbourhood  there  was  sup- 
posed to  be  treasure  buried,  which  the  officers  tried  in 
vain  to  discover.  At  length  a representative  of  the  owner 
succeeded  through  Li  Hung  Chang  in  getting  a pass  for 
men  and  carts  to  go  by  night  and  remove  whatever  was 
concealed,  the  British  officer  being  politely  requested  to 
shift  his  bed  (temporarily)  while  the  jars  of  ingots  buried 
beneath  were  being  exhumed ! 


XXIX 


THE  CAPITAL  IN  TRANSFORMATION 

ASIDE  from  the  residences  of  the  nobility,  count- 
less dwellings  of  those  whose  names  are  known 
all  over  China  were  open  to  inspection,  and  with 
the  inspection  commenced  what  was  practically  a trans- 
formation. A particularly  desolate  place  of  this  sort  on 
an  alley  opening  on  the  Ha  Ta  street  was  pointed  out  as 
belonging  to  Weng  T’ung  Ho,  formerly  tutor  of  the 
Emperor.  The  Austrian  contingent  took  possession  of 
the  house  of  Ch’ung  Li  (Governor  of  the  Nine  Gates  of 
Peking) — a very  attractive  place  not  at  all  like  the  typical 
Fu  and  quite  neat  and  clean.  When  the  late  owner  sent 
over  to  ask  for  a fur  garment  as  the  winter  was  coming 
on,  they  genially  replied  that  they  had  none  to  spare ! 

By  an  arrangement  with  the  Italians,  the  T’ung  Chou 
Christians  and  their  shepherds  occupied  the  premises 
known  as  the  Chao  Kung  Fu,  north  of  the  Tung  Hua 
gate,  and  close  to  the  Imperial  City  wall.  This  place  was 
owned  by  someone  who  had  an  eye  to  the  picturesque, 
and  built  a very  pretty  two-storied  building  facing  east 
and  west,  called  the  “ Ying  Ch’un  Lou,”  or  “ Chamber  to 
Welcome  Spring.”  An  enemy  at  Court  promptly  de- 
nounced the  audacity  of  erecting  such  a structure  which 
should  command  a view  of  the  Imperial  City,  and  the 
Empress  Dowager  saw  her  opportunity  and  fined  the 
unhappy  welcomer  of  the  Spring  one  hundred  thousand 
taels.  As  he  was  unable  to  raise  more  than  forty  thou- 

535 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


5S  6 

sand  taels,  the  Empress  kindly  confiscated  his  place  for 
the  remainder,  and  gave  it  to  her  own  younger  brother, 
whose  son  was  living  in  it  when  the  troubles  came  on. 
The  owners  were  very  willing  to  have  foreigners  in  occu- 
pation, as  their  premises  were  thus  safe  from  further 
pillage  than  they  had  already  undergone  from  the  Ital- 
ians. and  they  have  now  been  put  in  good  order  again 
at  some  expense.  A considerable  Christian  community 
is  lodged  in  numerous  houses  all  around.  The  hours  by 
day  and  night  are  sounded  by  a watchman  on  the  large 
500-pound  bell  of  the  North  China  College  at  T’ung 
Chou,  which  was  stolen  by  the  Boxers  when  the  place  was 
burnt,  carried  to  a village  and  buried,  and  later  rose  from 
the  dead  and  was  brought  to  Peking.  This  bell  and  three 
or  four  bunches  of  keys  are  all  that  now  remain  visible 
of  that  institution  of  learning,  aside  from  low  rows  of 
brickbats  on  its  former  site,  and  numerous  pits. 

After  the  occupation  of  the  premises  by  the  T'ung  Chou 
station,  Mr.  Tewksbury,  its  indefatigable  manager-in- 
chief,  employed  the  chamber  mentioned  above  as  a 
printing-office,  whence  have  issued,  together  with  much 
else,  numerous  copies  of  the  tonic-sol-fa  hymn-books  to 
replace  those  destroyed  last  year.  One  of  the  rooms  con- 
sists of  five  expansive  divisions,  and  appeared  to  be  fore- 
ordained for  a chapel,  which  it  has  become.  It  is  now 
filled  every  Sunday  with  several  hundred  Christians,  and 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  who  formerly  lived  there  regularly 
attended  the  morning  worship.  During  the  winter  the 
premises,  through  Prince  Su  as  middleman,  were  leased 
to  the  Mission  for  two  years  at  a fair  price,  payment 
beginning  at  the  signing  of  the  Protocol  in  January.  At 
the  back  of  the  room  used  as  a chapel  hung  a large  tablet 
draped  with  white  silk,  as  the  Chinese  symbol  of  mourn- 
ing, and  across  its  front  were  hung,  against  a background 


THE  CAPITAL  IN  TRANSFORMATION  537 


of  blue  cloth,  tags  of  silk  containing  the  names  of  those 
members  of  the  T’ung  Chou  church  who  gave  their  lives 
in  witness  of  their  faith.  The  list,  though  far  from  com- 
plete, embraced  the  names  of  forty-four  men,  forty-six 
women,  and  forty  children. 

The  Missions  of  the  American  Presbyterians  and  of 
the  American  Methodists  were  each  lodged  in  the  resi- 
dences of  the  gentry,  with  full  approbation  of  the 
owners,  who  would  otherwise  have  lost  everything  left  in 
these  dwellings.  The  latter  Mission  required  accommo- 
dations for  the  students  of  the  Peking  University,  and 
for  the  hundred  or  more  school-girls  who  had  been  suc- 
cessfully carried  through  the  siege,  but  for  whom  a secure 
domicile  was  imperative. 

The  experiences  of  the  London  Mission  refugees  were 
so  unique  that  a few  paragraphs  may  well  be  devoted  to 
them  as  strikingly  illustrating  the  exigencies  of  the  time. 

On  account  of  the  absence  of  the  male  members  of  the 
Mission,  Miss  Georgina  Smith  found  herself  in  charge 
of  about  200  destitute  refugees  who  had  no  food  and 
no  means  of  getting  any.  The  compound  next  to  the 
London  Mission  on  the  southeast  was  vacant,  having  been 
owned  and  occupied  by  a Manchu  family  active  in  the 
Boxer  outrage,  who  had  promoted  the  destruction  of  the 
mission  buildings  and  later  walled  in  a portion  of  the  land 
for  their  own  use.  Now  they  justly  feared  punishment 
and  had  all  fled,  and  the  authorities,  legation  and  mil- 
itary, handed  over  this  place  to  Miss  Smith  with  all  which 
it  contained. 

She  had  no  money  and  could  get  none,  but  she  issued 
tickets  for  a certain  amount  of  grain,  redeemable  on 
demand  at  the  neighbouring  shops  just  resuming  business. 
The  latter  preferred  the  orders  to  ready  money  as  they 
were  liable  at  any  moment  to  be  robbed  by  the  Russian 


53« 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


soldiers,  against  whom  Miss  Smith  was  provided  with  a 
written  protection  signed  by  the  General,  which  was 
framed  and  in  constant  requisition. 

The  furniture  of  the  premises  was  left  untouched,  and 
funds  were  raised  in  the  only  practicable  way  by  the  sale 
of  the  furs  and  other  clothing  of  the  establishment.  All 
the  converts  were  set  to  work  and  the  proceeds  thrown 
into  a common  fund,  a plan  which  worked  surprisingly 
well.  Contracts  were  taken  for  making  mattresses,  quilts, 
and  horse-cloths  for  the  British  troops,  and  then  for  the 
Germans.  Later  another  contract  was  taken  to  furnish 
hay  for  the  Indian  horses,  and  finally  to  undertake  the 
scavenging  of  the  German  section  of  the  city,  thus  pro- 
viding full  employment  for  all.  Preachers,  teachers,  hos- 
pital-dispensers, and  all  others  received  a uniform  allow- 
ance of  about  sixpence  a day. 

When  German  rule  replaced  that  of  the  Russians  the 
whole  district  would  have  been  impartially  occupied  and 
incidentally  looted  but  for  the  prompt  action  of  Miss 
Smith,  who  offered  to  provide  the  Germans  with  furni- 
ture for  barracks,  officers’  rooms,  etc.,  on  condition  that 
the  matter  should  be  left  entirely  in  her  hands,  and  no 
soldiers  allowed  to  enter  fhe  homes  of  the  people.  On 
these  terms  the  non-Christian  Chinese  in  the  neighbour- 
hood gladly  collected  all  that  was  required,  and  countless 
families  were  saved  from  spoliation. 

The  authorities  with  the  aid  of  the  Christians  sought 
out  some  of  the  chief  Boxers  and  dealt  with  them,  while 
others  through  intermediaries  offered  to  make  restitution 
or  compensation  for  the  injuries  which  they  had  inflicted 
on  Christian  families,  and  in  this  way  provision  was  made 
for  widows  and  orphans.  In  recognition  of  her  distin- 
guished services  Miss  Smith  was  presented  with  six  pairs 


THE  CAPITAL  IN  TRANSFORMATION  539 


of  the  gorgeous  “ Myriad  People  Canopy,”  the  highest 
popular  honour  in  China,  and  not  often  bestowed. 

Attentive  consideration  of  an  instance  like  this  makes  it 
strikingly  evident  how  much  may  be  accomplished  by  one 
resolute  and  resourceful  Western  woman,  and  how  hope- 
less it  would  be  to  judge  of  such  conditions  and  the  steps 
required  to  meet  them  without  full  and  accurate  acquain- 
tance with  the  facts. 

The  Government  of  China  has  always  been  conducted 
through  the  agency  of  the  six  Boards,  of  War,  Rites, 
Works,  Revenue,  Civil  Office,  and  Punishments,  mostly 
situated  on  a street  named  after  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant— the  Board  of  War.  At  the  wide  doors  con- 
cealing the  arcana  of  this  Chinese  official  life,  foreigners 
have  for  the  most  part  hitherto  gazed  from  afar.  Every 
one  of  these  Boards  was  promptly  occupied  by  the  mili- 
tary, as  well  as  several  other  Government  Bureaus  in  the 
vicinity,  some  of  which  were  destroyed  during  the  occu- 
pation, and  others,  like  the  Board  of  Revenue,  burned 
somewhat  later. 

The  Board  of  Works  and  the  Board  of  War  fell 
to  the  British  as  headquarters  of  an  Indian  regi- 
ment, the  tall  and  dusky  warriors  of  the  hill  tribes  of 
the  Indian  frontier  making  themselves  at  home  in  the 
ample  apartments  at  their  disposal.  The  thrifty  Japanese 
contrived  to  get  the  west  side  of  this  same  street  redis- 
tributed so  as  to  come  within  their  lines,  and  then  sent 
a caravan  of  mules  working  day  and  night  for  a long 
period,  and  carried  off  from  the  Board  of  Revenue  treas- 
ury a sum  reported  to  be  at  least  three  million  taels,  in 
silver  ingots.  This  same  Oriental  race,  who  appeared  to 
know  much  more  about  Peking  than  the  Pekingese  them- 
selves, promptly  fastened  their  talons  on  all  the  principal 


540 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Imperial  granaries,  and  are  said  to  have  gained  posses- 
sion of  rice  to  the  value  of  several  million  dollars — their 
indemnity  being  thus  automatically  paid  with  no  diplo- 
matic pressure  whatever,  or  any  consent  asked  of  any 
“ Power.” 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  characteristic  structures  in 
China  is  that  of  the  Board  of  Punishments.  All  the  Boards 
are  situated  almost  in  a block  just  west  of  the  British 
Legation,  but  this  stands  by  itself  to  the  west  of  the  divid- 
ing street  of  the  city.  You  know  when  you  get  to  it, 
because  you  seem  to  be  going  into  a basement  as  you 
alight  from  your  cart  and  look  down  into  the  main 
entrance,  which  is  several  feet  below  the  average  level  of 
the  road.  If  your  visit  is  in  summer,  you  will  see  a huge 
pond  in  the  first  courtyard,  and  the  same  repeated  in 
every  other.  If  you  enquire  of  one  of  the  attendants, 
remaining  after  the  Empress  took  her  flight  and  somebody 
liberated  all  the  hundreds  of  prisoners  then  confined  there, 
to  what  height  the  water  really  comes  when  it  is  highest, 
he  raises  his  hand  to  about  the  level  of  his  neck,  “ To 
here.”  “ But,”  you  observe,  “ then  there  must  be  water 
in  all  the  side-rooms,  which  you  see  are  on  a still  lower 
plane  ” “ Of  course,”  he  replies  simply. 

Scattered  about  the  court  were  parts  of  the  Complete 
Laws  of  China,  at  present  much  more  conspicuous  in  Pe- 
king by  their  absence  than  otherwise,  and  records  of  cases 
innumerable,  now  gone  to  the  region  which  Carlyle  com- 
pendiously referred  to  as  “ the  mud-gods.” 

The  prisons  proper,  of  which  there  are  perhaps  twenty 
or  twenty-four  (or  perhaps  forty-eight,  it  does  not  mat- 
ter), are  all  just  alike,  old  buildings  with  brick  walls,  with 
thick  wooden  gratings  to  the  windows,  which  a Euro- 
pean prisoner  would  whittle  in  two  with  a pocket-knife 
in  fifteen  minutes,  and  within,  two-inch  planks  laid  on 


THE  CAPITAL  IN  TRANSFORMATION  541 


piles  of  loose  bricks.  Copies  of  the  “ Peking  Gazette  ” 
were  at  first  (just  after  the  siege)  as  thick  here  as  the 
leaves  in  Vallombrosa  (or  thereabouts),  and  that  was  far 
the  best  place  to  get  complete  files  at  that  time,  when  all 
others  had  omitted  to  “ take  in  ” the  “ oldest  daily  paper 
in  the  world.”  Later  the  place  was  used  as  an  Interna- 
tional prison  for  a select  lot  of  criminals,  or  alleged  crim- 
inals, who  had  not  been  condemned  by  the  military,  and 
were  sent  to  the  Chinese  to  be  tried  by  their  own  officers. 

In  the  spacious  Carriage  Park  adjoining  the  British 
Legation  on  the  west,  which  was  such  a thorn  in  the  side 
of  the  besieged,  there  are  several  large  halls  for  the 
storage  of  the  Imperial  furnishings. 

The  British  relief  corps  had  no  sooner  occupied  the 
Legation  than  a hole  was  blown  in  the  Carriage  Park 
wall  by  means  of  dynamite,  and  the  swarthy  Pathans  and 
Beluchis  filed  into  the  large  pastures  thus  placed  at  their 
disposal.  It  did  not  take  long  to  run  out  of  doors  the 
lacquered  red  and  yellow  Imperial  equipages,  se- 
dan-chairs, wedding-chairs  (including  the  one  used  when 
the  Emperor  was  married),  and  elephant-carriages  of  an 
eccentric  and  peculiar  construction,  where  they  were  after- 
wards exposed  to  the  vicissitudes  of  the  hot  August  sun 
and  the  pouring  rains. 

Mountains  of  paraphernalia  wrere  found  in  even-  build- 
ing— silk  cushions,  satin  pillows,  gorgeous  harnesses  and 
trappings  of  every  description  and  of  no  description  at  all. 
Mule-loads  of  this  elegant  rubbish  were  brought  into  the 
Legation  for  sale  by  auction,  or  perhaps  for  transmission 
to  the  distant  Isle  of  the  Ocean  whence  came  the  “ fierce 
and  untamable  Barbarian  ” (as  the  British  used  to  be 
termed  in  Chinese  despatches).  Both  in  the  expansive 
grounds  of  the  Carriage  Park  and  in  the  far  larger  ones  of 
the  Temple  of  Heaven,  parks  of  artillery  stood  serenely 


54* 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


awaiting  fresh  orders,  the  mules  meantime  trampling  in 
the  mire  hundreds  of  moth-eaten  official  hats  made  of  felt, 
and  furlongs  of  once  elegant  and  costly  silk  coverings  of 
bridal  chairs  and  palanquins.  The  tall  weeds,  undis- 
turbed for  no  one  can  say  how  long  by  the  hand  of  man 
or  the  hoof  of  beast,  rapidly  disappeared,  and  the  entire 
spectacle  was  one  adapted  to  make  Celestials  weep. 

The  destruction  of  the  Hanlin  Yuan  has  been  described 
in  connection  with  the  narrative  of  the  siege,  but  a 
few  additional  details  deserve  mention.  The  principal 
literary  monument  of  the  most  ancient  people  in  the 
world  was  obliterated  in  an  afternoon,  and  the  wooden 
stereotype  plates  of  the  most  valuable  works  became  a 
prey  to  the  flames,  or  were  used  in  building  barricades, 
or  as  kindling  by  the  British  marines.  Priceless  lit- 
erary treasures  were  tumbled  into  the  lotus-ponds,  wet 
with  the  floods  of  water  used  to  extinguish  the  fires, 
and  later  buried  after  they  had  begun  to  rot,  to  dimin- 
ish the  disagreeable  odour.  Expensive  camphor-wood 
cases  containing  the  rare  and  unique  Encyclopaedia  of 
Yung  Le  were  filled  with  earth  to  form  a part  of  the 
ramparts  for  defence,  while  the  innumerable  volumes 
comprising  this  great  thesaurus  were  dispersed  in  every 
direction,  probably  to  every  library  in  Europe,  as  well  as 
to  innumerable  private  collections.  Not  a few  of  the 
volumes  were  thrown  into  the  common  heap  to  mold  and 
to  be  buried  like  the  rest. 

Thousands  of  Hanlin  essays  lay  about  the  premises, 
the  sport  of  every  breeze,  serving  as  fire-wood  for  the 
troops.  Odd  volumes  of  choice  works  furnished  the  waste- 
paper  of  the  entire  Legation  for  nearly  two  months ; they 
were  found  in  the  kitchens,  used  by  the  coolies  as  pads  for 
carrying  bricks  on  their  shoulders,  and  lay  in  piles  in  the 


THE  CAPITAL  IN  TRANSFORMATION  543 


outer  streets  to  be  ground  into  tatters  under  the  wheels 
of  passing  carts  when  traffic  was  once  more  resumed. 

Of  the  varied  forms  of  Nemesis  connected  with  the  up- 
rising against  foreigners  in  China,  the  fate  of  the  ancient 
and  famous  Hanlin  takes  perhaps  the  foremost  place. 
Out  of  twenty  or  twenty-five  halls,  but  two  remained  and 
a few  months  later  every  trace  of  these  had  been  removed 
from  the  Hanlin  premises,  which  are  now  a part  of  the 
British  Legation  grounds.  On  the  northern  side  a high 
wall  has  been  put  up,  with  scientific  loopholes  concealed 
in  its  upper  part,  and  protection  for  gunners  in  arched 
recesses  at  the  base,  while  a clear  space  is  left  in  front 
to  make  a surprise  impossible. 

Within  three  minutes  walk  of  the  British  Legation 
stands  an  old  yamen  known  as  the  Li  Fan  Yuan,  which 
had  to  do  with  Mongolian  affairs.  During  the  siege  it 
was  barricaded  and  loopholed,  and  served  as  one  of  the 
numerous  points  from  which  to  attack  the  Legations, 
being  directly  across  the  main  road  from  the  northern  end 
of  the  Su  Wang  Fu,  and  but  a few  rods  distant.  When 
the  siege  was  over  the  buildings  were  found  to  be  in 
ruins,  and  some  sales  of  loot  were  conducted  there  by  the 
Italians,  but  otherwise  the  place  was  completely  aban- 
doned. 

During  the  winter  this  ancient  Government  Bureau 
was  fitted  up  as  an  International  Club,  at  the  rear  of 
which  it  was  possible  for  members  to  order  meals  in 
parties  or  singly,  while  a large  room  was  devoted  to  the 
indispensable  bar.  In  the  front  building  there  was  a 
large  room  supplied  with  the  latest  British  and  Conti- 
nental periodicals.  The  most  recent  telegrams  were 
posted  upon  a daily  bulletin,  and  on  a large  placard  were 
registered  the  names  of  about  five  hundred  members  of 


544 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


the  Club — mostly  the  military  officers  of  the  eight  differ- 
ent nations  represented  in  Peking,  whose  flags  floated 
serenely  from  as  many  staffs  at  the  entrance. 

The  part  which  the  Tsung  Li  Yamen,  or  Foreign  Office, 
has  taken  in  the  relations  between  China  and  the  West 
is  well  known.  It  has  been  an  Oriental  circumlocution 
office,  not  to  transact  but  to  prevent  the  transaction  of 
business.  It  was  itself  an  epitome  of  the  double-dealing, 
shuffling,  and  treacherous  policy  which  has  marked  the 
course  of  China’s  intercourse  with  her  “ Sister  Nations.” 
A just  fate  has  overtaken  it,  for  while  guarded  by  a party 
of  Japanese  soldiers,  tbe  various  interpreters  of  the  Lega- 
tions went  on  a set  day  and  unitedly  sealed  each  the 
bureau  containing  the  records  of  the  correspondence  with 
his  own  country,  so  that  they  are  in  the  safe  custody  of 
all  the  Powers,  while  not  accessible  to  any  one  solely — 
least  of  all  to  the  Chinese.  Surely  the  humiliation  of  a 
great  Empire  could  scarcely  go  lower  than  this. 

On  the  first  of  May  these  records  were  restored  to  the 
custody  of  the  Chinese  officials  appointed  to  take  them 
over,  but  one  of  the  terms  of  settlement  between  China 
and  the  Powers  involves  the  abolition  of  the  Yamen  as 
a Bureau — the  only  fit  manner  of  dealing  with  this  cum- 
brous and  exasperating  piece  of  Oriental  machinery. 

The  questions  with  regard  to  the  survival  of  the  rec- 
ords of  Chinese  yamens  and  other  public  offices  in  Peking, 
is  naturally  one  of  much  interest  to  the  Chinese  them- 
selves. From  repeated  and  diversified  inquiries  one 
seems  justified  in  inferring  that  as  a rule  there  is  noth- 
ing whatever  left  of  the  documents  of  any  of  the  six 
Boards,  or  of  the  public  offices  of  any  sort  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Tsung  Li  Yamen. 

Among  the  numerous  offices  for  preparing  the  ma- 
terials for  future  histories,  are  two  historiographers’ 


TARTAR  WALL,  LOCATION  OF  ASTRONOMICAL  OBSERVATORY 


THE  CAPITAL  IN  TRANSFORMATION  545 


bureaus,  the  one  belonging  to  the  State  and  called  the 
Kuo  Shih  Kuan,  which  is  situated  in  the  Imperial  City, 
inside  the  Tung  Hua  Men.  The  records  of  the  Emper- 
or’s sayings  and  doings  were  kept  in  the  Ch'i  Chii  Chu 
which  was  located,  as  we  are  told,  within  the  limits  of  the 
Hanlin  Courts.  When  the  latter  were  attacked,  the 
records  were  prudently  moved  to  the  Kuo  Shih  Kuan  for 
safe  keeping.  A Chinese  teacher  who  visited  the  place, 
ascertained  its  present  condition.  He  reported  that  it 
was  closed,  but  that  the  contents  have  long  since  been 
scattered  to  the  winds  of  heaven.  During  the  anarchy 
following  upon  the  occupation  of  Peking,  whoever  had  a 
mind  to  do  so  visited  the  place  and  carried  off  whatever 
he  chose  for  waste  paper,  and  although  there  may  be 
some  parts  of  the  archives  remaining,  nothing  is  said  to 
be  complete,  and  all  might  as  well  be  lacking. 

On  the  night  of  the  4th  of  June,  1901,  a building  called 
the  Wu  Ying  Tien  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  For- 
bidden City  was  destroyed  by  a fire,  the  origin  of  which 
was  disputed.  It  was  a Throne  Hall,  or  Imperial  Pavil- 
ion, and  its  contents  were  archives  of  State,  edicts,  rec- 
ords, books,  and  blocks  of  governmental  works,  and 
attached  to  it  were  the  Recording  Office  and  the  office 
of  one  of  the  Grand  Secretaries.  It  was  the  final  act  in 
a long  series  of  conflagrations  and  destruction,  the  ulti- 
mate effect  of  which  can  not  fail  to  be  far-reaching. 

The  Astronomical  Observatory  situated  on  the  eastern 
wall  of  the  city,  and  containing  the  ancient  and  wonder- 
ful products  of  the  genius  of  the  early  Jesuits  in  China, 
Verbiest  and  Schall,  was  speedily  dismantled  by  the 
French  and  the  Germans,  every  one  of  the  instruments 
being  removed  to  the  French  or  German  Legations,  and 
in  the  process  the  needless  incidental  damage  was  so  great 
that  the  whole  place  was  left  a wreck.  The  Chinese 


546 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


looters  were  not  long  in  following  those  from  abroad,  and 
the  iron  railings  which  once  enclosed  the  terrace  were 
broken  off  in  mere  wantonness,  and  many  of  them  stolen 
— as  why  should  they  not  be,  since  the  place  was  ruined? 
It  is  a perfectly  just  reflection  that  this  vandalism  of 
Continental  troops,  under  orders  from  their  highest  mili- 
tary authorities,  is  far  less  excusable  than  the  attack  of 
the  savages  under  Tung  Fu  Hsiang  on  the  Hanlin  Yuan, 
for  that  was  done  under  strong  excitement,  and  this  de- 
liberately and  against  the  protests  of  a large  part  of  the 
civilized  world. 

The  Examination  Grounds  display  the  same  reckless 
destruction.  The  cells  for  the  students  (a  little  less  than 
8,500  in  number)  open  in  front,  with  a roof  slanting  back- 
ward, supported  on  two  or  three  small  poles.  Other  wood- 
work there  is  none.  Yet  in  order  to  secure  this  trifle  of 
material  for  kindling,  hundreds  of  the  stalls  were  pulled 
down,  as  well  as  the  buildings  at  the  entrance. 

It  should  be  mentioned  that  the  foreign  troops  in  urgent 
need  of  firewood  during  a cold  winter,  demolished  indis- 
criminately whatever  buildings  were  most  convenient — - 
yamens,  old  granaries,  and  temples.  It  was  reported  that 
by  the  time  the  winter  was  over,  hardly  any  temples  re- 
mained in  the  city  of  T’ung  Chou. 

The  headquarters  of  the  American  troops  during  the 
military  occupation  of  Peking  were  in  the  Temple  of 
Agriculture,  a spacious  series  of  enclosures  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  Chinese  city.  One  of  the  main  halls  was 
employed  as  a hospital,  and  another  as  a supply  depot 
for  the  commissariat,  displaying  long  rows  of  hams,  cases 
of  tobacco,  boxes  of  army  beans,  and  barrels  of  beef. 

One  of  the  side  halls  became  a reading-room,  and  others 
were  hospital  wards.  Another  had  been  used  for 
the  storage  of  the  gilded  and  lacquered  specimens  of 


THE  CAPITAL  IN  TRANSFORMATION  547 


agricultural  implements,  the  plough,  the  seed-drill,  the 
harrow,  the  brush-harrow,  the  spade,  the  broom,  the  pitch- 
fork,  and  smaller  utensils  such  as  baskets  and  broad  hats. 
All  of  these  were  unceremoniously  hustled  into  the  open 
air,  and  some  of  the  smaller  articles  furnished  convenient 
fuel  for  the  9th  and  14th  Regiments  of  U.  S.  Infantry. 

The  officers  for  whose  headquarters  the  main  halls  were 
used  had  no  sooner  taken  possession,  than  they  began  to 
have  holes  cut  in  the  venerable  walls  and  large  plate-glass 
windows  inserted,  a proceeding  which  must  have  ap- 
peared to  the  shades  of  the  divinities  worshipped  as  an 
additional  profanation  and  humiliation. 

The  marble  altar  where  the  Emperor  worships  old 
legendary  Shen  Nung  was  a convenient  place  for  the 
cavalry  horses  to  be  left  in  charge  of  the  nearest  coolie, 
and  the  choice  spot  of  earth  which  the  Emperor  is  sup- 
posed to  cultivate  with  his  own  hand  every  successive 
spring,  as  an  example  to  the  tillers  of  the  soil  all  over 
the  Empire,  was  quite  indistinguishable  amid  the  dense 
growth  of  omnipresent  weeds. 

Across  the  wide  street  opposite  the  Temple  of  Agricul- 
ture is  the  vast  area,  at  least  a mile  on  each  face,  in- 
closing the  Temple  of  Heaven.  For  many  years  it  was 
absolutely  inaccessible  to  foreigners,  and  even  during 
the  minority  of  the  present  Emperor  it  was  difficult  to 
set  one’s  foot  inside.  Now  there  is  not  a single  Chinese 
anywhere  to  be  seen,  the  keepers  having  been  all  driven 
away  by  the  British  when  they  took  possession  imme- 
diately on  reaching  Peking.  One  can  drive  his  cart  quite 
up  to  the  lofty  terrace  leading  to  the  triple  cerulean 
domes  denoting  the  threefold  heaven.  Each  gate  was 
sentried  by  a swarthy  Sikh  soldier — the  personification  of 
the  domination  of  a greater  empire  than  that  of  Rome 
in  its  best  days — who  merely  glanced  at  you  as  you  passed 


548 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


or  asked  unintelligible  questions  in  Hindustani,  and  made 
a respectful  salaam  when  he  was  informed  in  several 
European  languages,  as  well  as  in  Chinese,  that  you 
were  unable  to  catch  the  drift  of  his  observations. 

The  door  to  the  great  circular  building  devoted  to  the 
ancestral  tablets  of  the  Manchu  dynasty  stands  wide 
open.  It  contained  a huge  tablet  on  the  northern  side,  to 
Imperial  Heaven,  and  eight  cases — four  on  a side — to  the 
eight  Emperors  who  have  thus  far  reigned  during  the 
past  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  years.  Every  one  of  the 
eight  cases,  with  heavy  carved  doors,  has  been  broken 
open,  and  every  one  of  the  eight  tablets  to  the  deified 
ancestors  has  been  taken  away  by  British  officers  for 
transmission  to  the  British  Museum — an  act  of  almost 
justifiable  reprisal  for  Chinese  treatment  of  the  foreign 
cemetery. 

The  Emperor’s  Hall  of  Fasting  was  used  as  the  head- 
quarters of  the  British  army  in  this  part  of  the  city,  and 
every  day  was  partly  filled  with  many  cart-loads  of  loot 
— silks,  furs,  silver  and  jade  ornaments,  embroidered 
clothing,  and  the  like.  This  was  daily  forwarded  to  the 
British  Legation,  and  sold  at  auction  for  the  benefit  of 
the  army,  to  be  soon  replaced  by  as  much  more.  The 
personal  apartments  of  the  Emperor  in  the  rear  served 
as  the  bedrooms  of  the  officers,  who  looked  mildly  sur- 
prised when  the  circumstance  was  communicated  to 
them  at  their  dinner,  and  merely  gave  an  inquiring  glance, 
as  much  as  to  say,  “ Well,  what  of  it,  don’t  you  know?  ” 

The  seventh  section  of  the  Peace  Conditions  imposed 
by  the  Powers  upon  China  provided  for  defences  around 
the  Legations  and  for  the  removal  of  all  Chinese  build- 
ings from  their  vicinity.  The  “ Legation  Area  ” was 
construed  to  embrace  at  least  all  the  territory  within  a 
rectangle  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  wall  of  the  city, 


TEMPLE  OF  AGRICULTURE,  PEKING 
AMERICAN  HEADQUARTERS 


ENTRANCE.  TEMPLE  OF  AGRICULTURE, 
AMERICAN  HEADQUARTERS 


THE  CAPITAL  IN  TRANSFORMATION  549 


on  the  north  by  the  wall  of  the  Imperial  city,  on  the 
east  by  the  Ha  Ta  street,  and  on  the  west  by  the  median 
line  of  the  city,  leading  to  the  Ch’ien  Men ; but  that  part 
lying  north  of  Legation  street,  and  west  of  the  Board  of 
War  street  will  probably  be  excluded  as  superfluous. 
Within  this  broad  tract,  measuring  more  than  a mile 
in  length  by  perhaps  half  a mile  in  breadth,  the  most 
revolutionary  changes  at  once  began,  such  as  the  dem- 
olition of  dwellings,  yamens,  and  temples,  and  the  gen- 
eral rehabilitation  of  the  old  Legations,  with  the  most 
liberal  additions. 

Opposite  the  Austrian  Legation  stood  a green-tiled 
building  which  contained  the  Tablets  of  the  pre-imperial 
Ancestors  of  the  founders  of  the  Manchu  Dynasty.  This 
comes  within  the  territory  demanded  for  the  Legations, 
and  will  be  removed,  the  efforts  of  the  Chinese  and 
Manchus  to  save  it  having  proved  abortive.  Its  removal 
is  in  itself  a fit  outcome  of  the  Manchu  effort  to  end  all 
relations  with  the  rest  of  the  civilized  world  by  destroy- 
ing its  representatives. 

The  Japanese  take  in  the  Su  Wang  Fu,  to  which  they 
have  a strong  claim,  while  the  Italians,  the  French,  and 
the  Austrians,  in  like  manner  will  cover  a large  part  of 
the  fighting  area  of  the  siege,  absorbing  the  site  of  the 
Imperial  Maritime  Customs,  the  Imperial  Mint,  and  the 
unfinished  Chinese  Bank. 

The  abolition  of  the  immemorial  buildings  belonging 
to  several  of  the  six  Boards  was  vainly  resisted  by  the 
Chinese,  who  will  be  helpless  in  the  presence  of  the 
new  fortresses  commanding  the  Imperial  palaces.  It  is 
a bitter  humiliation,  but  one  which  the  Court  of  Peking 
richly  deserves. 

That  Court  was  itself  the  great  contriver  and  executor 
of  the  crime  against  all  nations  in  Peking,  and  some  of 


550 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


its  agents  have  suffered  a fit  penalty.  The  provincial 
Treasurer  of  Chihli,  Ting  Yung,  whom  a Military  Com- 
mission held  at  Pao  Ting  Fu  in  October  adjudged  guilty 
of  the  death  of  the  fifteen  British  and  Americans  killed 
near  that  city,  was  there  beheaded,  together  with  others 
of  lesser  importance.  During  the  winter  two  other  officials 
of  high  rank  were  handed  by  the  Allies  over  to  the 
Chinese  authorities  to  be  beheaded  in  Peking,  Ch’i  Hsiu, 
and  the  son  of  Hsu  T’ung,  Hsu  Ch’eng  Yu. 

No  Chinese  had  more  to  do  with  promoting  the  attack 
upon  foreigners  than  Li  Ping  Heng,  former  Governor 
of  Shantung,  and  subsequently  the  active  agent  of  the 
Empress  Dowager.  He  either  died  or  committed  suicide, 
and  was  subsequently  bewailed  at  his  home  in  Chang 
Te  Fu,  Honan. 

Imperial  Decrees  ordered  and  subsequently  certified 
to  the  death  of  Prince  Chuang  (who  was  allowed  to 
strangle  himself),  of  Yii  Hsien,  the  most  infamous  of  them 
all,  under  whose  personal  superintendence  forty-five  for- 
eigners were  hewn  down  at  his  yamen  in  T’ai  Yuan  Fu,  of 
Chao  Shu  Ch’iao,  Ying  Nien,  and  others  of  less  notoriety. 
Kang  I,  another  important  factor  in  the  Boxer  rising, 
was  reported  to  have  died  in  southern  Shansi.  Since  there 
was  no  foreign  witness  of  these  deaths  or  executions  the 
evidence  of  their  reality  has  been  regarded  by  many  as 
inadequate,  but  there  seems  little  reason  to  suppose  that 
any  of  these  officials  will  ever  again  figure  in  Chinese 
affairs.  There  is  a long  list  of  those  who  might  well 
have  been  included,  but  if  all  were  named  who  are 
guilty  it  would  be  hard  to  make  a beginning  and  still 
harder  to  know  where  to  stop. 

The  experiences  of  the  Chinese  Court  in  the  second 
enforced  flight  of  the  Empress  Dowager  within  forty 
years,  have  a peculiar  interest  for  one  who  pursues  this 
strange  story  to  its  conclusion.  The  following  notes  of 


THE  CAPITAL  IN  TRANSFORMATION  551 


some  of  its  incidents  are  quoted  from  an  interesting 
article  by  Miss  Luella  Miner,  in  the  “ Century  Magazine,” 
the  collator  being  a progressive  Chinese  who,  together 
with  his  relatives,  .suffered  much  bitterness  from  his 
friendship  for  foreigners,  and  regard  for  Western  learn- 
ing. It  is  morally  certain  that  the  Empress  Dowager 
had  been  deceived  into  a belief  that  foreign  troops  were 
either  not  near  Peking,  or  would  be  unable  to  enter  it, 
otherwise  her  delay  in  effecting  her  flight  is  utterly  in- 
explicable. 

“ On  the  14th  of  August  the  sound  of  rifles  and  cannon 
was  heard  incessantly  throughout  the  day,  and  it  was 
rumoured  that  foreigners  and  native  Christians  were 
sneaking  up  from  Tung  Chou  and  attacking  one  of  the 
eastern  gates.  Toward  evening  it  was  noised  abroad 
that  a great  company  of  Mohammedans,  in  most  peculiar 
costume,  had  entered  the  city  and  encamped  in  the  Temple 
of  Heaven.  Not  till  the  next  day  was  it  generally  known 
in  the  city  that  Peking  had  been  captured  by  the  ‘ for- 
eign devils  ’ and  that  the  so-called  Mohammedans  were 
Indian  troops  under  British  officers.  That  Tuesday  after- 
noon, soon  after  the  Rajputs  and  Sikhs  had  entered  the 
British  Legation,  General  Ma  was  summoned  to  the 
Palace,  and  commanded  to  await  the  Imperial  chariot 
at  the  northern  gate  of  the  Forbidden  City.  Toward 
evening  the  American  troops  captured  the  Ch’ien  Gate, 
and  sent  shot  and  shell  against  the  southern  gate  of  the 
Imperial  City.  The  Empress  Dowager  wept,  and  to- 
gether with  the  Emperor,  the  Empress,  and  the  heir  ap- 
parent, burned  incense  in  the  palace  and  prayed  to  Heaven. 
Kang  I entered  the  palace  and  with  great  earnestness 
urged  them  to  seek  a refuge  from  the  blast  of  the  enemy. 
An  edict  was  issued  ordering  all  the  princes  and  ministers 
to  follow  in  the  Imperial  retinue. 

“ Early  on  the  morning  of  August  15th,  the  allies  at- 


552 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


tacked  both  the  southern  and  eastern  gates  of  the  Im- 
perial City,  whereupon  the  high  Ministers  hastened  to 
the  Ning  Shou  Palace  to  see  the  Empress  Dowager;  but 
before  they  entered  the  palace  a eunuch  met  them  with 
the  intelligence  that  the  Empress  Dowager  and  the  Em- 
peror had  already  fled,  having  heard  a false  rumour  of 
a revolution. 

“ From  the  14th  of  June,  when  the  Empress  Dowager 
returned  to  the  city  palaces,  she  had  simply  twisted  her 
hair  in  a knot  and  worn  the  common  dress  of  the  people. 
The  morning  when  she  took  her  flight  it  was  in  this 
guise.  The  Empress  Dowager,  the  Emperor,  the  Em- 
press, and  the  heir  apparent,  each  rode  in  a separate  cart, 
the  Empress  Dowager  having  Duke  Lan’s  private  cart, 
from  which  she  had  the  red  side-awnings  removed.  They 
left  the  city  by  the  Te  Sheng  Gate  on  the  north  side, 
General  Ma  escorting  them.  The  Chinese  report  that  the 
favourite  concubine,  “ Pearl,”  was  strangled  and  thrown 
in  a well.  Of  the  Princes,  nobles  and  high  Ministers, 
about  thirty  were  in  their  retinue;  Prince  Tuan,  Prince 
Chuang,  Duke  Lan,  and  Kang  I being  of  the  number. 

“ The  first  night  the  royal  fugitives  lodged  at  Kuan 
Shih,  a little  village  containing  a Mohammedan  inn,  about 
thirty  miles  north  of  Peking  At  this  point  they  obtained 
mule  litters, — palanquins  borne  by  poles  on  the  backs  of 
mules,  one  in  front  and  one  behind.  The  Empress  Dow- 
ager lay  down  in  her  litter  all  day,  eating  very  little. 
The  next  night  they  lodged  at  Ch’a  Tao,  a place  just 
outside  the  inner  arm  of  the  Great  Wall,  about  fifty  miles 
northwest  of  Peking.  The  District  Magistrate  did  not 
know  of  the  arrival  of  the  chariot,  and  had  made  no 
preparation  for  their  entertainment,  so  there  was  nothing 
for  the  Imperial  table  hut  a few  grains  of  corn,  while 
the  retinue  all  had  a hungry  look.  The  District  Magis- 


THE  CAPITAL  IN  TRANSFORMATION  553 


trate  had  only  one  sedan-chair,  in  which  the  Empress 
Dowager  rode  from  this  point,  while  the  Emperor  and 
the  Empress  still  rode  in  the  mule-litters. 

“ On  the  17th  of  August  they  arrived  at  Huai  Lai. 
When  they  left  the  capital  in  haste  and  confusion,  they 
were  simply  clad  in  summer  raiment.  After  going 
through  the  Pass,  the  weather  became  suddenly  cold,  so 
they  stayed  in  the  Pure-True  Temple  of  Huai  Lai  for  two 
days  to  make  their  winter  clothing. 

“ On  the  20th  of  August  they  arrived  at  Hsiian  Hua 
(twenty  miles  from  Ivalgan).  From  this  point  three  Ver- 
milion Pencil  edicts  were  dispatched,  one  giving  the 
causes  which  led  to  the  flight  of  the  Imperial  family,  the 
Emperor  blaming  himself  for  lack  of  intelligence  in  his 
use  of  men  as  officials,  and  blaming  his  Ministers  for  not 
using  to  the  utmost  the  talents  with  which  they  were 
endued  by  Heaven.  A second  edict  commanded  the  Min- 
isters to  follow  the  court  to  T'ai  Yuan  Fu,  while  another 
remitted  the  taxes  of  the  region  through  which  they  had 
passed.  They  stayed  five  days  at  Hsiian  Hua. 

“ From  Hsiian  Hua  they  went  to  Ta  T’ung  (near  the 
northeastern  boundary  of  Shansi),  where  they  stayed  two 
days.  In  going  from  there  to  T'ai  Yuan  Fu  they  passed 
through  Tien  Chen.  This  place  had  already  been  looted 
by  rebels,  so  that  shops  and  markets  were  all  empty. 
Just  as  the  District  Magistrate  was  in  great  confusion  and 
dismay,  having  nothing  to  lay  his  hand  to.  it  was  an- 
nounced that  the  holy  chariot  had  suddenly  arrived. 
Crazy  with  grief  and  fear  he  drank  poison  and  died.  So, 
when  the  Imperial  party  arrived  they  found  only  an  empty 
city,  and  that  night  supped  on  a few  drops  of  soup.  They 
then  sent  the  Imperial  butler,  a eunuch,  back  to  Peking 
to  purchase  provisions  and  other  necessities. 

“ When  the  chariot,  the  retinue,  and  the  Eight  Banner 


554 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


(Manchu)  soldiers  arrived  at  T’ai  Yuan  Fu,  over  three 
hundred  soldiers  were  sent  back  to  Peking,  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  Te,  with  only  four  taels  apiece  for 
pay,  and  later  over  three  hundred  men  were  sent  back 
under  Prince  Su,  each  man  receiving  five  taels.  Of  the 
high  Ministers,  only  Kang  I,  Wang  Wen  Shao,  and  Chao 
Shu  Chiao  were  left  in  the  Imperial  retinue,  though  there 
were  several  lesser  Ministers. 

“ Toward  the  end  of  September  the  earnest  plea  of  the 
Emperor  for  a return  to  Peking  seemed  likely  to  win  the 
day.  The  provincial  Treasurer  of  Pao  Ting  Fu  tele- 
graphed that  the  allies  were  about  to  make  an  attack  on 
Pao  Ting  Fu,  followed  by  an  invasion  of  Shansi,  so  again 
the  wish  of  the  Empress  Dowager  prevailed,  and  the 
course  of  empire  took  its  way  westward.  It  is  almost  as 
far  from  T’ai  Yuan  Fu  to  Hsi  An  Fu  as  from  Peking  to 
T’ai  Yuan  Fu,  so  now  it  seems  as  if  the  Empress  Dowager 
had  burned  her  bridges  behind  her.  In  this  ancient  capi- 
tal of  the  Empire  she  means  to  stand  at  bay.” 

It  seems  likely  to  be  the  strange  fate  of  this  woman, 
after  directly  authorizing  the  commission  of  perhaps  the 
greatest  crime  against  the  intercourse  of  nations  in  the 
whole  history  of  the  human  race,  to  be  restored  to  her 
usurped  throne,  and  to  undisputed  power,  with  no  criti- 
cism upon  her  conduct  in  the  past,  and  no  guarantee  as 
to  her  behaviour  in  the  future. 

Whatever  her  fate  or  that  of  the  Empire  which  she 
did  so  much  to  ruin,  one  of  the  most  picturesque  scenes 
of  modern  times  will  continue  to  be  the  Punishment  of 
Peking.  The  city  has  been  turned  inside  out,  like  the 
fingers  of  a glove,  but  whose  hand  shall  ultimately  fill 
it  remains  still  to  be  settled. 


XXX 


THE  RUIN  OF  t’uNG  CHOU 

THE  city  of  T’ung  Chou,  twelves  miles  east  of 
Peking,  is  situated  at  the  head  of  navigation  of 
the  Peiho,  or  North  River.  The  plain  upon 
which  Peking  is  built,  while  thickly  populated,  does  not 
afford  sufficient  supplies  for  the  use  of  a large  city,  and 
every  year  enormous  quantities  of  tribute  rice  from  the 
central  provinces  pass  through  this  river  port  on  their 
way  to  the  capital. 

The  very  name  of  the  city  denotes  that  it  is  the  town 
by  which  traffic  penetrates  to  Peking  (“  t’ung  ” signifying 
“to  pass  through”).  From  T’ung  Chou  to  Peking  a 
broad  stone  road  on  a high  level  was  constructed  cen- 
turies ago,  but  this  has  fallen  into  complete  disrepair,  so 
as  to  furnish  at  once  a monument  of  the  capacity  and  the 
incapacity  of  the  rulers  of  the  Empire.  Parallel  with  this 
great  stone  road,  of  which  countless  foreign  travellers 
have  had  heart-breaking  (and  back-breaking)  experi- 
ences, a canal  leads  to  the  Tung  Pien  Gate  of  Peking,  at 
the  junction  of  the  northern  or  Tartar  City  with  the 
southern  or  Chinese  City.  Five  blocks  interrupt  the  pas- 
sage of  boats,  the  cargoes  requiring  as  many  reshiftings, 
but  to  the  patient  Chinese  this  is  an  altogether  minor 
matter. 

Contrary  to  the  erroneous  impression  prevailing  in 
Western  lands,  Chinese  cities  may  be  said  to  be  built  with 

555 


556 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


an  invariable  irregularity  for  geomantic  purposes,  but 
few  city  walls  even  in  China  have  such  a devious  out- 
line as  that  of  Tung  Chou.  This  is  because  it  consists 
of  two  cities,  an  old  and  a new,  the  latter  added  many 
hundred  years  ago  on  the  western  side  of  the  former  one, 
apparently  for  the  purpose  of  including  within  its  spa- 
cious and  devious  circuit  an  Imperial  Granary,  long  since 
fallen  into  ruin. 

Owing  to  the  composite  structure  of  the  city,  T’ung 
Chou  enjoys  the  unusual  (perhaps  the  unique)  distinction 
of  having  two  south  gates,  but  the  principal  suburbs  are 
outside  of  the  east  and  the  west  gates,  although  that  on 
the  north,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  handsome  and  striking 
old  pagoda,  is  also  of  considerable  size. 

What  the  population  of  T’ung  Chou  may  have  been 
no  one  can  say  with  certainty,  but  there  is  good  reason 
to  suppose  that  since  foreigners  have  known  it  there 
have  been  perhaps  between  fifty  and  seventy  thousand 
persons  in  and  about  the  city.  The  arrival  of  the  grain- 
boats  from  Tientsin,  as  well  as  those  bringing  the  tribute 
direct  from  Shantung,  was  an  annual  event  of  capital  im- 
portance to  the  whole  population,  for  a large  part  of  the 
people  got  their  living  directly  from  this  nourishing 
stream  of  rice.  This  rice  which  had  formerly  been 
brought  in  junks  by  sea,  and  within  recent  years  in 
steamers  from  the  south,  was  trans-shipped  at  Tientsin 
to  special  boats  which  ultimately  discharged  their  cargo 
on  mats  spread  upon  the  bank  of  the  canal  leading  to 
Peiho,  a short  distance  below.  After  being  measured 
and  sacked,  it  was  carried  to  the  granaries,  thence  pass- 
ing through  the  intricate  and  tortuous  channels  estab- 
lished by  Chinese  precedent  before  reaching  its  final  des- 
tination. Armies  of  huge  brawny  coolies  were  to  be  seen 
shouldering  the  clumsy  sacks  weighing  perhaps  consider- 


THE  RUIN  OF  T’UNG  CHOU 


557 


ably  over  200  pounds  avoirdupois,  and  in  this  manner 
thousands  of  laborers  found  employment. 

Next  to  the  excitement  caused  by  the  annual  arrival 
of  the  tribute  grain,  was  that  occasioned  by  the  various 
Literary  Examinations  in  Peking,  especially  that  for  the 
second  degree  of  “ Selected  Men  ” (Chii  Jen).  For  a pe- 
riod of  several  weeks,  when  the  river  was  alive  with  boats 
and  boatmen,  innkeepers,  carters,  wheelbarrowmen,  mer- 
chants, and  coolies,  as  well  as  many  others  in  T’ung 
Chou,  reaped  a rich  harvest.  At  such  times  the  prices 
of  boats  and  carts  would  mount  to  extravagant  figures, 
for  the  traveller  from  a distance  was  completely  at  the 
mercy  of  the  local  sharks,  each  one  of  whom  took  care 
to  get  a liberal  bite.  Aside  from  these  special  causes  of 
prosperity  the  steady  stream  of  official  and  unofficial 
travellers,  merchants,  and  traders,  and  the  handling  of 
the  merchandise  passing  through  for  Peking,  particularly 
the  large  and  important  item  of  foreign  freight,  upon 
which  it  was  easy  to  collect  the  most  exorbitant  charges, 
made  the  carrying  of  goods  and  passengers  a lucrative 
specialty  of  this  gateway  of  the  Capital. 

For  about  a third  of  a century,  or  since  1866,  T’ung 
Chou  has  been  a station  of  the  American  Board  Mission, 
beginning  with  small  premises  in  the  center  of  the  city, 
and  later  extending  to  others  further  west.  Within  the 
past  ten  years  they  have  embraced  also  an  extensive  area 
some  distance  beyond  the  south-west  corner  of  the  city. 
Within  the  city  walls  were  located  a dispensary  and  hos- 
pitals, for  both  men  and  women,  a theological  seminary, 
schools  for  boys  and  girls,  as  well  as  four  dwelling- 
houses  and  numerous  other  buildings.  Outside  the  city 
was  the  North  China  College  of  the  American  Board, 
together  with  four  dwelling-houses  occupied  by  the 
faculty  of  that  institution ; there  were  also  adjacent 


558 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


premises,  where  were  the  beginnings  of  an  industrial 
plant. 

It  is  important  to  observe  that,  from  the  first,  the  rela- 
tions of  the  people  of  T’ung  Chou  with  the  foreigners 
living  among  them  had  been  one  of  ideal  friendliness. 
There  had  not  only  never  been  a riot,  but  no  disturbance 
of  any  sort  had  broken  the  uniform  harmony.  The  in- 
fluence of  the  long  years  of  work  in  the  hospital  and 
dispensary  had  been  wide-spread.  The  College  was 
recognized  by  the  people  and  by  the  local  scholars  as  an 
honour  to  the  city.  Intercourse  with  the  officials  had  al- 
ways been  friendly,  and  sometimes  cordial.  That  the 
foreigners  were  well  known  and  trusted,  the  following 
instance  will  show. 

When  the  Allied  Forces  attacked  Peking,  in  October, 
i860,  the  city  of  T'ung  Chou  took  occasion  to  capitulate 
on  its  own  account,  offering  to  furnish  the  foreign  troops 
whatever  was  required  in  the  line  of  supplies,  on  the 
condition  that  the  city  itself  should  not  be  harmed, — an 
arrangement  which  was  carried  into  effect. 

During  the  progress  of  the  war  between  China  and 
Japan,  when  it  was  feared  that  Peking  must  fall  a prey 
to  the  invader,  Dr.  Sheffield,  the  President  of  the  College, 
was  approached,  with  a view  to  ascertaining  whether  in 
the  event  of  the  arrival  of  the  Japanese  he  would  under- 
take to  go  out  and  meet  them,  and  make  such  terms  as 
would  secure  the  integrity  of  the  city.  When  it  was 
learned  that  he  was  willing  to  assume  the  undertaking, 
upon  a set  day  a guard  of  five  hundred  soldiers  was  sent 
to  their  residences  to  escort  Dr.  Sheffield  and  Dr.  Good- 
rich to  the  military  headquarters.  There  they  were  re- 
ceived with  the  salute  of  cannon,  reserved  for  officers  of 
the  rank  of  Govemors-General,  and  were  introduced  to 
an  audience  with  several  high  officials,  all  of  whom 


NORTH  CHINA  COLLEGE,  T'UNG  CHOU 


THE  RUIN  OF  T’UNG  CHOU 


559 


treated  the  foreigners  with  the  highest  respect,  and  were 
greatly  relieved  at  the  prospect  of  intervention  at  a crisis 
of  peculiar  difficulty.  While  the  later  movements  of  the 
Japanese  did  not  call  for  the  execution  of  this  service, 
the  fact  that  it  was  asked  and  promised,  and  especially 
the  gaudy  concomitants  of  the  explosion  of  so  much 
powder  and  the  marching  of  so  large  a force  of  soldiers 
in  honour  of  two  foreigners,  tended  to  surround  them 
with  a blaze  of  glory,  the  effects  of  which  were  not 
evanescent. 

For  more  than  ten  years  previous  to  the  building  of 
the  railway  between  Tientsin  and  Peking,  such  a work 
had  been  not  only  projected,  but  approved  by  Imperial 
Edict.  Upon  one  occasion,  when  it  seemed  about  to 
materialize,  Dr.  Sheffield  was  visited  by  one  of  the  gen- 
try of  the  city,  whose  first  movement  was  to  perform 
the  kotow.  Subsequently  he  arose  to  explain  that  he  was 
praying  to  be  saved  from  the  terrors  of  an  invasion  of  his 
ancestral  grave-yard  by  the  iron  road  of  the  fire-wheel- 
carts,  which  would  disturb  the  slumbers  of  his  fore- 
fathers, and  bring  swift  and  irreparable  ruin  upon  the 
whole  family.  It  was  no  doubt  difficult  for  him  to  com- 
prehend, and  still  more  to  believe,  Dr.  Sheffield’s  statement 
that  this  entire  business  from  first  to  last  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  Government,  and  that  private  Americans  living  in 
T'ung  Chou  had  absolutely  no  connection  with  it. 

After  many  false  starts  and  countless  set-backs,  the 
building  of  the  line  from  Tientsin  actually  began  to  take 
shape  after  the  close  of  the  war  with  Japan.  At  a pre- 
vious period,  when  it  was  regarded  as  certain  to  material- 
ize, Chinese  speculators  took  pains  to  lay  hold  of  large 
tracts  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city,  where  the  rail- 
way station  was  likely  to  be.  The  people  of  T’ung  Chou 
were  in  an  agony  of  apprehension  lest  the  geomantic  for- 


560  china  in  convulsion 

tunes  of  their  city  be  overwhelmed  with  disaster,  and 
the  trade  ruined  by  the  new  and  dreaded  innovations  now 
not  merely  threatened,  but  certain  to  come  upon  them. 
They  had  left  no  means  untried,  no  stone  unturned  to 
avert  this  calamity,  but  in  vain. 

At  their  very  extremity  one  more  device  was  thought 
of,  which  was  their  last  hope.  The  difficulty  with  the 
innumerable  protests  which  had  been  made  was,  that 
some  yet  more  influential  counter-memorial  always  took 
the  wind  out  of  T’ung  Chou  sails,  and  left  them  in  a 
worse  position  than  before.  It  was  by  bribing  the  Cen- 
sors in  Peking  that  an  influential  memorial  against  the 
proposed  line  was  secured,  pointing  out  its  dangers  for 
T’ung  Chou,  and  the  undesirability  of  antagonizing  the 
people  of  that  city.  There  was  a popular  impression  that 
one  of  the  Princes  was  also  induced  to  interest  himself 
in  the  matter,  and  that  it  was  owing  to  his  influence  that 
the  course  of  the  railway  was  turned  toward  the  west, 
around  the  great  Hunting  Park,  known  as  the  “ Nan 
Hai  Tzu,”  where  it  passed  through  a region  destitute  of 
any  towns  of  importance.  While  it  would  receive  no 
local  traffic,  there  would  at  least  be  no  opposition.  At 
all  events,  although  the  evil  could  not  be  altogether  pre- 
vented, it  was  at  least  driven  to  so  great  a distance  that 
it  would  no  more  disturb  the  peace  of  the  denizens  of  the 
City  of  Penetration. 

There  was  a brief  period  during  which  these  hopes 
seemed  to  have  been  completely  accomplished.  Every- 
thing went  on  as  it  had  always  done,  and  fear  was 
banished.  But  in  the  spring  of  1897  it  began  to  be  no- 
ticed that  the  usual  number  of  travellers  did  not  visit  the 
city,  en  route  to  Peking,  and  that  the  boat  traffic  fell 
off  in  an  unexampled  manner.  This  happened  to  be  the 
year  for  the  triennial  examinations  in  Peking,  when,  as 


THE  RUIN  OF  T’UNG  CHOU  . 561 


mentioned,  Tung  Chou  expects  a plenteous  harvest.  But 
only  a fraction  of  the  students  came  by  the  river  as  they 
had  hitherto  invariably  done,  for  the  fire-wheel  cart  had 
just  begun  its  regular  trips,  and  the  curiosity  of  the  travel- 
ling public  to  see  it  and  to  experience  the  sensation  of 
“ rapid  transit,”  brought  such  a multitude  of  passengers 
that  the  means  of  transportation  were  much  more  than 
exhausted.  The  vans  were  all  filled,  and  so  were  the 
freight  cars ; even  the  platform  cars  used  for  hauling 
gravel  had  to  be  pressed  into  service. 

The  railway  was  a triumphant  success  from  the  start, 
but  poor  T’ung  Chou  wept  in  secret  (and  in  public) 
places  over  the  loss  of  its  passenger  traffic.  Business 
was  no  longer  done  as  before.  The  inns  were  largely 
unoccupied,  the  stores  sold  but  little,  building  and  re- 
pairing stopped  at  once  ; the  carters  and  donkey-boys,  con- 
stituting a by  no  means  insignificant  portion  of  the  active 
life  of  the  city,  had  nothing  to  do.  Venders  of  food  on 
the  street  found  a small  and  a diminishing  market.  The 
barbers  would  tell  their  customers,  as  they  gossiped  over 
the  dressing  of  their  queues,  that  from  the  largest  firm 
in  the  place  down  to  the  peripatetic  seller  of  ankle-ties 
not  a soul  but  was  suffering  from  the  locomotor  ataxia 
which  had  attacked  every  form  of  business.  In  short 
the  place  was  beginning  to  die,  and  the  people  were  likely 
to  die  with  it. 

This  was  bad,  but  worse  was  in  prospect.  The  numer- 
ous important  families  who  farmed  the  tribute  grain 
business  of  T'ung  Chou  had  good  reason  to  fear  that 
their  innumerable  perquisites,  derived  from  the  trans- 
portation, the  storing,  and  the  handling  of  the  rice,  would 
soon  be  cut  off.  It  had  been  discovered  that  galvanized 
iron  box-cars  had  proved  a complete  protection  to  the 
great  quantities  of  tea  formerly  shipped  from  Tientsin 


562 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


via  T’ung  Chou  for  Russia,  much  of  which  used  to  be 
stolen  en  route  by  broaching  the  packages  on  the  river. 
A memorial  to  the  Emperor  already  quoted  had  long  since 
suggested  the  sending  of  the  Imperial  supplies  by  the 
same  route,  on  the  ground  that  “ it  would  put  a stop  to 
stealing  by  the  crews  of  the  boats.”  It  would  also  put 
a period  to  the  subsistence  of  a large  part  of  the  T’ung 
Chou  people,  as  they  clearly  foresaw. 

But  as  their  earnest  prayer  had  been  granted  and -as 
the  peril  had  not  invaded  their  grave-yards,  and  as  the 
new  road  was  built  for  the  Emperor  himself,  it  did  not 
appear  that  there  was  anything  to  be  done  about  the 
matter,  unless  it  might  be  to  repent  in  dust  and  ashes, 
which  the  whole  city  appeared  to  do.  From  the  merchant 
in  his  large  and  unfrequented  shop  to  the  manure-gatherer 
and  the  beggar,  all  alike  would  tell  you  of  the  decay  of 
business  and  the  fact  that  it  was  no  longer  possible  to 
make  a living.  A score  or  more  of  large  firms  were  said 
to  have  removed  bodily  from  the  eastern  suburbs  of  the 
city  to  Peking,  to  regain  their  trade  which  had  left  them, 
and  in  some  of  the  streets  grass  was  literally  growing 
where  it  had  never  been  before  noticed. 

The  northern  part  of  China  is  the  land  of  dust-storms. 
On  some  sunshiny  day  it  is  noticed  that  the  rays  of  the 
sun  appear  to  be  less  powerful  than  usual.  Presently 
they  are  obscured.  No  cloud  is  to  be  seen,  but  a dull 
haze  of  a dark  brown  hue  becomes  more  and  more  per- 
vasive, until  the  dust  settles  down  quietly  from  above,  or, 
if  the  wind  has  arisen,  arrives  in  swirls  speedily  envelop- 
ing everything,  so  that  on  the  worst  occasions  it  may  be 
necessary  to  light  the  lamps  in  the  middle  of  the  day. 
No  one  knows  whence  the  dust  comes,  why  it  comes 
at  some  times  and  not  at  others,  or  why  it  comes  at  all. 
It  is  simply  an  indisputable  and  an  influential  fact. 


THE  RUIN  OF  T’UNG  CHOU 


563 


Not  unlike  the  dust-storm  of  the  quiet  type,  was  the 
arrival  of  the  Boxer  movement  at  T’ung  Chou.  “ Like 
a spirit  it  came  in  the  van  of  the  storm.” 

The  writer  reached  that  city  on  the  17th  of  May  by 
boat  from  Shantung,  with  a guard  of  three  soldiers,  who 
were  regarded  with  surprise  by  all  foreigners  and  most 
Chinese,  as  an  unwonted  and  a superfluous  luxury  of 
travel.  The  river  route  was  quiet,  and  so  was  that  by 
land.  T’ung  Chou  was  quiet  also,  although  there  were 
rumours  that  trouble  was  brewing  in  the  east  suburb. 
It  was  afterward  known  that  the  Boxer  virus  had  been 
brought  by  men  who  came  in  boats  from  Tientsin,  or 
perhaps  Tu  Liu,  a noted  Boxer  head-quarters  on  the 
Grand  Canal  eighteen  miles  south  by  water,  and  after- 
wards nearly  destroyed  by  foreign  troops.  The  training 
was  recommended  as  useful  for  protection  of  one’s  per- 
son, one’s  home  and  family,  and  one’s  village.  It  had  no 
elements  of  hostility  to  foreigners,  and  was  so  simple  that 
even  children  could  learn  it,  as  was  soon  demonstrated. 

Occasionally  some  of  the  ladies  going  about  as  usual 
in  their  sedan-chairs  or  otherwise  noticed  demonstrations 
which  attracted  their  attention.  Once  a man  capered  in 
front  of  the  chair  and  made  motions  as  if  to  cut  off  his 
head,  and  the  by-standers  laughed.  In  about  ten  days 
the  rumours  grew  more  alarming,  but  were  vague,  inde- 
finable, and  could  not  be  verified. 

The  movement  had  no  sooner  begun  to  make  headway 
than  a beggar  was  seized  who  had  been  to  the  foreign 
hospital  for  treatment  of  the  itch,  where  he  had  been 
given  a sulphur  ointment.  This  was  held  to  be  a deadly 
drug  designed  for  use  in  the  poisoning  of  wells.  An 
elaborate  examination  was  held  by  the  Chou  Magistrate, 
at  which  the  charge  was  solemnly  declared  to  be  not 
proven,  but  it  had  the  effect  of  inflaming  the  minds  of 


564 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


the  people,  already  wrought  upon  by  the  rumours  of 
what  had  been  done,  or  was  to  be  done  elsewhere,  in  the 
way  of  driving  out  all  the  foreign  devils. 

The  culmination  of  this  movement  has  already  been  de- 
scribed in  connection  with  the  account  of  the  flight  of 
the  party  of  Americans  from  T’ung  Chou  to  Peking,  on 
the  8th  of  June.  A notification  was  sent  to  the  officials 
that  the  premises  were  turned  over  to  their  care,  and 
on  the  following  day  the  college  was  burned  and  looted 
by  the  troops  themselves,  as  well  as  the  dwelling  houses 
and  every  building  connected  with  the  place.  On  the  day 
following,  the  same  ruin  fell  on  the  property  in  the  city, 
where  a large  street  chapel  was  approaching  completion. 
So  complete  was  the  wreck  that  it  was  not  only  possible 
to  ride  a horse  over  the  site  of  two-story  buildings  but 
it  was  difficult  even  to  identify  the  sites  themselves. 

The  telegraph  office  and  the  Imperial  post-office  were 
likewise  destroyed.  The  post-master  (a  Christian)  had 
a series  of  the  most  dramatic  adventures  in  the  escape  to 
Peking,  where  he  turned  over  his  accounts  in  full,  and 
then  barely  made  his  escape  to  the  south,  arriving  eventu- 
ally in  safety  at  Shanghai.  Shen  Taotai  was  imprisoned 
in  his  own  yamen,  the  sport  of  the  Boxers,  and  was  at 
length  enabled  to  fly,  being  plundered  cn  route  of  all  his 
possessions,  his  yamen  being  one  of  the  first  places  looted. 
Such  was  the  terrorism  of  the  Boxer  movement  that  it 
may  be  said  that  the  whole  population  of  the  city  went 
into  it,  willingly  or  otherwise,  with  a heartiness  wonderful 
and  instructive  to  behold.  If  there  were  any  who  pro- 
tested, their  voices  must  have  been  drowned  in  the  gen- 
eral madness.  Their  only  tangible  grievance  was  the  rail- 
way which  had  destroyed  their  traffic,  and  to  right  this 
wrong  T’ung  Chou  committed  suicide ! 

The  Chou  Magistrate  was  especially  hateful  and  hypo- 


THE  RUIN  OF  T’UNG  CHOU 


565 


critical,  endeavouring  to  get  evidence  against  the  foreign- 
ers through  the  incriminating  testimony  of  the  beggar 
arrested  with  his  colored  itch-ointment;  failing  in  this  he 
had  the  yamen-runner  who  made  the  arrest  beaten  eight 
hundred  blows,  for  the  real  reason  that  the  proof  was  in- 
complete. When  the  hospital  was  pulled  down  he  had 
the  skeleton  found  in  Dr.  Ingram’s  laboratory  ostenta- 
tiously hung  up  in  the  front  hall  of  the  yamen,  where  it 
was  exhibited  to  every  one  as  a positive  and  visible  dem- 
onstration of  the  truth  of  all  the  charges  previously  in- 
sinuated against  the  Westerners.  When  the  College  was 
pillaged  the  Taotai  ordered  the  Chou  Magistrate  to 
take  the  articles  of  value  and  put  them  into  the  treasury, 
but  the  latter  purposely  did  nothing,  and  allowed  every- 
thing to  be  either  looted  or  destroyed. 

The  Intendant  of  the  Grain  Yamen,  named  Ch’ang 
Ts’ui,  was  really  the  head  of  the  T’ung  Chou  Boxers,  and 
the  most  incriminating  documents  were  found  in  his  prem- 
ises when  they  were  occupied  by  United  States  soldiers. 
A few  months  later  large  bundles  of  these  papers  with 
complete  lists  of  the  Boxer  leaders,  the  memoranda  of 
their  camps,  rations,  and  followers,  and  much  other  like 
information,  were  captured  by  the  British,  and  sent  to 
Mr.  Tewksbury  to  be  overhauled  and  annotated. 

A few  paragraphs  from  the  graphic  account  of  a Chinese 
“ Refugee  ” on  his  flight  south,  may  serve  to  give  an 
insight  into  the  condition  of  this  city  after  the  foreigners 
had  escaped.  He  arrived  on  the  21st  of  June  and  saw  a 
boisterous  crowd  entering  the  city  gates,  while  others 
fired  off  three  volleys  from  their  guns  as  a sign  that 
some  Christian  had  been  killed,  after  being  dragged  to 
the  bank  of  the  canal,  where  the  bodies  of  the  slain  were 
thrown  to  prevent  the  infection  of  the  country  with  an 
epidemic. 


566 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


These  volleys  were  heard  many  times  a day,  and  indi- 
cated the  terrible  slaughter  in  progress,  for  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  of  the  Protestant  Christians  of  that  station 
in  city  and  country  lost  their  lives  in  this  reign  of  terror. 

When  the  Boxers  had  gathered  sufficient  headway, 
they  demanded  an  interview  with  the  Taotai,  intending 
to  kill  him.  He,  however,  resolutely  refused  to  see 
them.  The  Boxer  mob  began  threatening  to  break 
down  the  yamen  doors,  when  the  other  subordinate  offi- 
cials, although  out  of  sympathy  with  him,  came  to  his 
rescue  and  saved  his  life,  the  Boxers  being  persuaded  to 
accept  ten  “ shoes  ” of  sycee  (taels  500)  in  lieu  of  the 
Taotai’s  head.  It  was  also  agreed  that  he  was  not 
to  appear  outside  his  yamen  upon  any  pretext,  else  he 
would  be  killed.  They  further  compelled  him  to  give 
them  a written  Commission  empowering  the  Boxers  to 
keep  order  in  T’ung  Chou  and  its  dependencies,  to  punish 
all  traitors  found  by  them,  to  demand  money  and  food 
whenever  necessary,  and  to  decapitate  all  who  threatened 
the  city. 

On  the  22nd  of  June,  the  Imperial  Decree  having  ar- 
rived authorizing  the  destruction  of  the  Legations,  the 
Boxer  banners  had  prefixed  to  the  characters  “ Support 
the  Dynasty ; Exterminate  Foreigners,”  the  additional 
words : “ By  Imperial  Command.”  The  result  of  this 
was  to  make  the  Boxer  desperadoes  absolutely  supreme, 
and  from  the  26th  of  June  onwards  the  city  was  under 
their  sole  control. 

It  is  worth  noting  that  after  the  arrival  of  Li  Hung 
Chang,  the  Chou  Magistrate,  under  whom  all  this  took 
place,  was  restored  to  his  office  (without  protest  from 
the  Ministers),  and  it  was  with  him  that  the  T’ung  Chou 
missionaries  were  obliged  to  negotiate  for  indemnities  for 
the  native  Christians  who  had  been  pillaged  through 


THE  RUIN  OF  T’UNG  CHOU  567 

the  connivance  of  this  very  man,  now  ostentatiously 
friendly  and  complaisant. 

The  embarrassments  attending  a readjustment  of  the 
old  relations  was  aptly  expressed  by  the  prefect  who  was 
appointed  to  confer  with  the  missionaries  as  to  the  in- 
demnities for  the  Christians,  and  the  punishments  which 
should  be  thought  sufficient  to  atone  for  so  many  cruel 
and  unprovoked  murders.  “If  you  are  to  take  those 
really  responsible,”  he  observed,  “ you  must  begin  with 
the  Empress  Dowager  and  go  right  down,  for  we  were 
all  in  it,” — an  accurate  and  a compendious  summary  of 
the  general  situation. 

Within  a few  days  after  the  Japanese  had  taken  the 
city,  several  tons  of  powder  stored  in  a small  building 
on  a section  of  the  northern  wall  were  blown  up,  by 
Indian  troops  as  is  supposed  by  some,  but  with  the  result 
of  a terrific  explosion  which  not  only  destroyed  its 
authors,  but  the  city  itself  for  more  than  a quarter  of  a 
mile  in  either  direction.  The  ruin  and  desolation  within 
this  area  was  more  complete  than  in  any  other  region  in 
northern  China.  The  whole  tract  seemed  to  have  been 
tossed  in  a blanket,  so  great  was  the  force  of  the  con- 
cussion. The  temple  to  the  god  of  war,  a prominent  land- 
mark in  T’ung  Chou,  was  left  in  fragments,  its  skeleton 
standing,  but  the  remaining  timbers  lying  or  leaning  at 
every  angle.  The  roof  also  was  gone,  but  amid  the  debris 
three  figures  of  the  late  divinities  might  be  seen  standing 
erect,  as  if  striving  to  appear  unconcerned  at  what  had 
befallen  their  abode.  The  city  was  parcelled  out  among 
the  various  detachments,  and  while  the  Japanese,  had 
they  been  in  sole  control,  might  have  carried  out  their 
promises,  as  it  was,  not  many  hours  had  elapsed  before 
T’ung  Chou  was  looted  and  burned.  From  the  centre  of 
the  city  eastward  to  the  east  gate,  scarcely  a shop  re- 


568 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


mained  on  what  was  once  the  great  thoroughfare,  and 
on  the  main  street  connecting  this  with  the  north  gate 
not  a single  shop  or  dwelling  remained  standing.  Nearly 
all  the  large  places  of  business  were  destroyed,  and  the 
devastation  in  the  eastern  suburb,  which  is  long  and  popu- 
lous, was  only  less  complete.  The  western  suburb  escaped 
being  burned,  and  to  a large  extent  the  northern  also,  but 
the  latter  was  occupied  by  the  French  and  the  Russians, 
from  whom  the  people  suffered  unspeakably. 

A correspondent  entering  the  city  tried  to  find  a house 
which  had  not  been  looted  in  which  to  spend  the  night, 
and  where  he  hoped  to  secure  a bedquilt.  He  did  indeed 
find  three  in  succession  in  the  same  building,  but  each 
one  contained  a dead  Chinese  woman,  who  had  evidently 
been  first  outraged  and  then  cut  open,  and  covered  with 
her  own  bedding ! The  miseries  of  the  people  for  leagues 
about  T'ung  Chou  and  for  all  the  following  month,  from 
the  brutalities  of  the  foreign  soldiers,  will  never  be  known. 

A month  after  the  capture  of  the  city  the  apparent 
population,  aside  from  the  attendants  upon  the  foreign 
troops,  amounted  to  but  a few  hundreds  of  persons.  One 
might  walk  for  miles  even  in  the  western  part  of  the  city, 
where  the  buildings  had  not  been  extensively  burned,  and 
see  no  sign  of  life  in  any  court-yard  other  than  those  oc- 
cupied by  the  Japanese, — with  the  exception  of  the  troops 
of  starving  dogs.  Carts  and  rikshas  were  to  be  seen 
tumbled  into  a pond,  and  covered  with  green  slime. 
Some  of  the  largest  shops  had  been  looted  but  not  burned, 
and  within  was  still  a large  quantity  of  furniture  which 
there  was  no  one  to  use.  Only  the  account-books  left 
scattered  in  the  street  indicated  what  firm  had  gone  to 
wreck,  while  on  the  dead-wall  opposite  smiled  the  felici- 
tous saying:  “ Great  Joy  on  Issuing  from  the  Door.” 

On  the  north  back  street  where  the  foreigners  had  lived, 


THE  RUIN  OF  T’UNG  CHOU 


569 


and  where  some  of  their  neighbours  had  joyfully  ha- 
stened to  plunder  their  goods,  might  now  be  seen  in  Japa- 
nese, French,  and  English  the  announcement:  “ This  peo- 
ple is  belonged  to  Japanese  entirely  5th  regiment.”  “ No 
admittance  to  enter  this  house,”  was  common,  and  in 
some  districts  every  door  had  “ Japan  ” over  it,  with  the 
motto  overhead  in  Chinese  (left  over  from  the  last  New 
Year’s  posting)  “ Imperial  Grace;  Family  Happiness.” 

In  the  destruction  of  the  dwellings  of  the  foreigners,  all 
the  adjacent  houses  had  been  destroyed  also.  Not  a shop 
was  open,  not  a vender  to  be  seen,  not  a cup  of  hot 
water  nor  an  egg  to  be  bought,  but  throughout  nineteen- 
twentieths  of  the  long  city  desolation  reigned  supreme, 
while  the  Japanese  flag  waved  over  the  granaries  holding 
what  was  left  of  the  tribute  rice,  which  had  been  the  life- 
blood both  of  T’ung  Chou  and  of  Peking.  On  the  river- 
bank,  where  in  the  autumn  of  the  year  trade  was  wont  to 
be  brisk,  there  was  indeed  a busy  scene,  but  it  was  not 
the  grain-fleet  from  Tientsin,  nor  the  cargo-boats  with 
tea  for  Russia,  but  the  Japanese,  British,  French,  Russian, 
and  American  transports  crowding  the  otherwise  un- 
vexed waters  of  the  canal  leading  to  the  Peiho.  Not  a 
boat  arrived  or  departed  but  under  military  orders,  and 
every  boatman  was  impressed  under  inexorable — but 
mildly  despotic — martial  law. 

In  a particularly  impassable  mud-hole  (probably  dating 
from  the  Yuan  Dynasty)  one  might  come  on  the  strange 
spectacle  of  a party  of  Sikhs  engaged  in  making  out  of 
the  roof-timbers  of  a Chinese  house  a species  of  bridge, 
covered  with  doors,  shutters,  and  other  wood-work,  on 
a foundation  of  huge  bundles  of  ripe  sorghum  cut  from 
the  fields  with  the  grain  attached.  The  military  road,  of 
which  this  bridge  formed  a minute  section,  passed  directly 
over  deep  trenches  where  the  walls  of  the  grounds  of 


570 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


the  North  China  College  had  lately  stood.  When  it  was 
destroyed  the  Boxers  or  the  joyful  neighbours  hastened 
to  plant  its  land  with  Indian  corn,  and  by  the  time  the 
troops  arrived  in  the  autumn  this  was  just  ripe  enough 
to  feed  the  animals  of  the  members  of  the  mission  who 
halted  there  to  inspect  the  ruins. 

Over  the  whole  twelve  miles  between  T’ung  Chou  and 
Peking  one  might  pass  and  repass,  and  never  see  a hu- 
man being,  nor  find  at  any  of  the  countless  tea-houses 
and  inns  along  the  route  a single  opportunity  to  pur- 
chase a mouthful  of  food,  or  even  to  water  the  animals. 
Unusually  luxuriant  crops  were  standing  absolutely  un- 
touched, or  if,  as  happened  later,  the  heads  of  the  grain 
were  cut  off,  it  was  done  swiftly  and  furtively,  and  with 
scouts  looking  both  ways  to  detect  the  presence  of  for- 
eign troops  on  that  much  travelled  military  road.  Many 
of  the  soldiers  took  a keen  delight  in  shooting  every  hu- 
man being  in  sight  who  looked  like  a “ heathen  Chinese,” 
and  the  result  was  a broad  belt  of  practically  depopulated 
territory,  where  any  one  could  pillage  the  empty  houses 
with  comparative  impunity,  except  for  the  all  pervading 
fear  of  the  sudden  appearance  of  the  dreaded  polyglot 
foreign  troops.  Each  of  them  represented  a hasty  and  a 
bitter  nation,  marching  through  the  breadth  of  the  land 
to  possess  the  dwelling-places  that  were  not  theirs,  whose 
horses  were  swifter  than  the  leopards,  and  more  fierce 
than  the  evening  wolves,  their  horsemen  spreading  them- 
selves and  coming  from  far. 

Many  weary  months  was  this  heavy  burden  to  be  borne, 
with  many  nameless  horrors  upon  which  we  do  not  ven- 
ture to  touch.  And  all  this — and  more — was  a part  of 
The  Punishment  of  T’ung  Chou. 


XXXI 


TIENTSIN  AFTER  THE  SIEGE 

THE  city  of  Tientsin  is  the  natural  gateway  for 
the  provinces  of  Chihli  and  Shansi,  as  well  as 
for  parts  of  Shantung  and  Honan,  and  of  Man- 
churia and  Mongolia.  In  its  relations  with  foreigners 
there  is  much  which  is  instructive,  and  which  in  view  of 
the  history  of  the  past  year  throws  light  upon  the  action 
and  interaction  of  causes  in  a manner  well  adapted  to  rivet 
attention. 

The  Tientsin  men  have  a reputation  for  violence,  espe- 
cially in  speech,  and  all  over  China  are  dreaded  as  quarrel- 
some and  obstreperous.  In  some  places  in  the  central 
provinces  the  inns  have  a standing  notice:  “ No  Tientsin 
men  admitted.”  When  the  Taku  forts  were  captured  in 
i860  Tientsin  capitulated  on  its  own  account,  and  fur- 
nished the  foreign  troops  with  all  the  provisions  and  other 
supplies  needed,  at  remunerative  rates,  soon  learning  how 
to  make  out  of  a military  occupation  a mine  of  wealth. 
But  the  people  of  Tientsin  from  the  first  moment  of  their 
acquaintance  with  foreigners  down  to  the  present  time 
have  had  no  love  for  them.  At  the  very  beginning  of 
their  knowledge  of  the  barbarians  a new  nickname  was 
employed  to  designate  them,  by  allusion  to  their  hair,  and 
they  were  called  “ Maotsu.”  There  has  never  been  a time 
when  any  foreigner  passing  through  the  streets  or  sub- 
urbs of  this  inhospitable  city  might  not  at  any  moment 
hear  himself  saluted  by  infants  scarcely  able  to  walk  alone, 
reinforced  by  children  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages,  with  a 

57i 


572  CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 

taunting  chorus  of  “Mao!  mao!  mao!  mao!”  as  long  as 
he  was  within  hearing. 

The  Tientsin  massacre  of  1870  has  already  been  men- 
tioned among  the  instances  in  which  the  mob  element  was 
encouraged  by  the  literati  and  not  discouraged  by  the 
officials,  and  its  result  was  the  loss  of  twenty  foreign 
lives.  The  French  were  the  principal  sufferers  in  this 
outbreak,  but  by  an  unfortunate  coincidence  their  over- 
whelming defeat  by  Germany  in  that  year  made  the  tardy 
settlement  with  China  in  every  way  unsatisfactory.  Had 
the  Tientsin  riot  been  properly  punished,  it  is  morally  cer- 
tain that  many  important  events  in  the  subsequent  rela- 
tions between  China  and  the  West  would  have  been  dif- 
ferent. 

But  though  France  failed  to  secure  adequate  repara- 
tion for  the  wrong  done  to  all  foreigners,  according  to  the 
belief  of  the  Chinese  themselves  the  city  and  region  could 
not  escape  the  vengeance  of  Heaven.  The  surrounding 
country  is  low  and  flat,  and  for  many  successive  years 
it  was  inundated  in  a way  to  cause  terrible  misery  to 
an  enormous  number  of  people.  Refugees  by  the  thou- 
sand, and  even  by  the  ten  thousand  in  years  of  heavy 
floods  or  wide-spread  famine,  flocked  to  this  metropolis, 
where  they  were  huddled  together  in  great  mat-sheds, 
or  allowed  to  crowd  into  huts  plastered  with  mud,  so 
low  that  an  adult  could  not  sit  upright ; there,  with  no 
other  furniture  than  a broken  iron  kettle  and  a rice- 
bowl  or  two,  the  occupants  lay  piled  together  like  the 
puppies  of  a litter,  kept  from  freezing  in  the  terrible 
blasts  of  winter  only  by  a few  handfuls  of  straw  on  the 
bare  ground,  their  ragged  clothes,  and  fragments  of 
gunny-bags. 

The  population  of  Tientsin  has  been  estimated  at  a 
million,  or  in  that  vicinity,  but  this  is  almost  certainly 


TIENTSIN  AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


573 


too  high  a figure.  The  city  itself  is  small,  and  the  suburbs 
while  crowded  are  narrow  and  straggling.  But  within 
the  past  two  decades  the  increase  has  been  marked.  The 
water  traffic  centreing  here  is  enormous,  and  there  are 
miles  upon  miles  of  boats,  laid  up  in  winter,  but  intensely 
active  during  all  other  seasons. 

The  great  growth  in  the  commercial  prosperity  of  Tien- 
tsin is  wholly  due  to  the  advent  of  foreign  trade,  which 
had  advanced  with  giant  strides.  Lord  Charles  Beresford 
found  that  the  amount  of  duty  collected  in  1897  amounted 
to  about  £139,000.  a gain  in  nine  years  of  nearly  65 
per  cent ; while  the  total  value  of  all  the  exports  and 
imports  in  the  same  year  was  about  £9,232,030,  being  an 
increase  in  ten  years  of  99  per  cent. 

No  shrewder  people  than  the  Chinese  are  to  be  found 
upon  this  planet — or  perhaps  any  other.  They  have  never 
had  the  smallest  difficulty  in  perceiving  that  the  phe- 
nomenal prosperity  of  the  “ Open  Ports  ” springs  from 
foreign  trade,  and  they  are  ready  enough  in  every  one 
of  them,  as  well  in  British  possessions  like  Hongkong, 
Singapore,  and  Penang,  to  put  themselves  under  the  rule 
of  the  outer  Barbarian.  But  this  is  not  to  say  that  they 
love  him,  or  even  like  him,  because  they  do  not.  Of  the 
innate  antipathy  between  the  Chinese  and  foreigners  Tien- 
tsin is  an  excellent,  because  an  indisputable  example. 
What  harm  had  ever  come  to  the  people  of  Tientsin  from 
the  Settlements,  where  the  Occidentals  lived,  and  in 
which  they  have  expended  annually  a sum  equal  to  the 
revenues  of  a kingdom,  all  of  which  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Chinese?  There  was,  indeed,  in  the  details  of  the 
intercourse  much  to  be  regretted,  and  something  might 
be  said  to  show  that  the  Chinese  had  a grievance,  but  on 
the  whole  their  treatment  we  believe  to  have  been  con- 
spicuously fair  and  just. 


574 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


The  rise  of  the  Boxer  movement  was  far  to  the  south 
of  Tientsin,  and  appeared  to  wake  little  responsive  echo 
in  that  turbulent  metropolis — a fact  which  excited  the 
surprise  of  many  old  “ China  hands.”  Even  in  the  early 
months  of  1900  very  little  if  any  unusual  excitement 
was  visible,  and  absolutely  no  sign  of  a great  popular 
rising.  A few  anticipatory  Boxer  enthusiasts  who 
paraded  the  streets  to  beguile  the  people  were  promptly 
arrested,  severely  punished,  and  put  in  the  wooden  collar ; 
when  the  ferment  apparently  disappeared. 

Yu  Lu,  the  Governor  General  of  Chihli,  like  most  other 
high  officers  everywhere  in  China  at  that  time,  was  a 
Manchu.  There  is  always  much  difficulty  in  ascertaining 
what  a Chinese  (or  a Manchu)  official  means  by  what  he 
says,  or  by  the  proclamations  which  he  issues,  but  there 
certainly  appeared  to  be  strong  circumstantial  evidence 
that  His  Excellency  was  not  then  friendly  to  the  Boxer 
enterprise.  Gen.  Mei,  the  commander  of  the  provincial 
troops,  was  actively  fighting  and  destroying  them  in  large 
companies,  which  could  not  have  been  the  case  had  Yii 
Lu  desired  to  stop  him,  as  the  Governor  of  Shantung 
(Yu  Hsien)  did  with  his  military  officers.  At  all  events 
there  was  an  apparent  effort  to  put  the  Boxers  down, 
and  some  of  the  proclamations  had  a ring  of  severe  ear- 
nestness and  firm  purpose.  A little  later  all  this  was 
changed  by  the  undoubted  approval  of  the  Boxers  by  the 
Court,  and  definite  orders  from  Peking  to  patronize  and 
to  utilize  them. 

It  was  noted  as  a singular  and  on  the  whole  an  un- 
accountable fact  that  this  city,  which  one  would  have 
expected  to  be  the  head-centre  and  distributing  point  of 
all  maleficent  anti-foreign  virus,  was  not  actually  cap- 
tured by  the  Boxers  until  long  after  they  had  been  operat- 
ing in  Pao  Ting  Fu,  Cho  Chou,  and  T’ung  Chou  In 


TIENTSIN  AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


575 


the  country  districts  within  an  hundred  miles  they  were 
already  violent  by  the  middle  of  May,  and  Christian  refu- 
gees were  pouring  into  the  missionary  compounds  at  the 
foreign  settlement  in  anticipation  of  a storm  which  they 
well  knew  would  be  unprecedented. 

The  correspondence  afterward  discovered  in  the  ya- 
men  of  the  Governor  General  showed  conclusively  the 
complicity  of  that  official  with  his  subordinates  in  Pao 
Ting  Fu  (under  instructions  from  Peking),  in  feeding 
and  patronizing  the  Boxers.  The  events  which  took  place 
along  the  line  of  the  Lu-Han  railway,  and  especially  the 
destruction  of  the  machine  shops  and  engines  on  the  28th 
of  May  at  Feng  T’ai,  and  later  the  stations  on  the  Peking 
line,  made  a profound  impression  at  Tientsin,  which  was 
already  throbbing  with  excitement. 

The  escape  of  a large  party  of  Belgian  engineers  from 
Pao  Ting  Fu  has  already  been  mentioned,  and  added  to 
the  tension  of  feeling.  They  had  left  that  city  on  twelve 
boats  for  Tientsin  with  an  escort  and  an  interpreter. 
They  were  abandoned  and  betrayed  on  the  river,  lost 
their  way,  became  separated,  and  several  of  them  dis- 
appeared. Twenty-six  of  them  formed  a square  with 
the  women  inside  and  made  direct  for  Tientsin,  travelling 
as  well  as  they  could,  being  ill  clad,  ill  shod,  and  without 
food,  and  obliged  to  drink  from  pools  and  streams  as 
they  could.  Five  of  this  party,  almost  delirious  with  suf- 
fering and  excitement,  became  separated  from  the  others, 
two  of  them  arriving  in  Tientsin  by  themselves.  A rescue 
party  of  twenty-five  mounted  volunteers  and  ten  men  on 
foot  bravely  went  out  to  bring  in  the  refugees ; the  former 
missed  them  by  going  around  the  city,  but  the  others 
brought  them  into  the  settlement  much  more  dead 
than  alive,  and  for  a time  they  were  totally  unable  to 
give  any  account  of  themselves.  One  man  was  shot  in 


576 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


the  leg,  and  had  besides  seven  wounds  in  the  shoulder 
and  head  ; one  of  the  ladies  was  shot  through  the  shoulder, 
and  others  had  wounds  of  various  descriptions. 

The  Chinese  in  the  city,  as  well  as  the  settlement,  with 
few  exceptions  were  convinced  that  the  Boxers  could  do 
all  that  they  claimed — and  more.  They  could  resist 
swords,  were  impervious  to  bullets,  could  emit  fire  at  will, 
and  could  fly.  The  foreigners,  on  the  other  hand,  were 
much  too  self-confident.  The  very  same  correspondent 
who  reported  the  adventures  and  sufferings  of  the  engi- 
neers, remarked  on  the  3rd  of  June  that  “ there  is  no 
reason  whatever  for  anxiety  about  Tientsin.”  The  people 
of  the  native  city  were  almost  crazed  with  excitement. 
Many  houses  were  found  smeared  with  blood,  and  this 
was  laid  to  the  door  of  the  Christians,  while  incendiaries 
and  robbers  saw  in  the  general  disorder  a rich  harvest 
time. 

On  the  evening  of  June  14th  (one  day  later  than  the 
similar  outbreak  in  Peking)  the  Boxers  began  operations, 
and  from  the  second  story  of  high  buildings  their  pro- 
ceedings could  be  watched.  Three  chapels  inside  the  city 
were  set  on  fire,  and  many  of  the  adjacent  buildings  were 
involved  in  the  conflagration. 

It  was  probably  not  anticipated  by  those  who  exerted 
themselves  to  destroy  foreigners  by  shooting  at  them 
from  buildings  on  the  land  adjacent  to  the  French  settle- 
ment, that  within  a few  weeks  their  property  would  be 
confiscated  and  in  some  cases  sold  to  the  very  ones  whom 
the  late  owners  had  diligently  endeavoured  to  kill ; nor 
did  the  short-sighted  Chinese  who  surreptitiously  at- 
tacked their  employers  foresee  that  it  would  not  be  long 
before  it  would  not  be  safe  for  them  to  go  about  the 
streets  of  their  own  city,  and  that  after  nine  o’clock  at 
night  no  Chinese  would  be  allowed  abroad  on  the  foreign 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSION,  TIENTSIN 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSION,  TIENTSIN.  AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


TIENTSIN  AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


577 

concessions,  except  jinrikisha  men  actually  drawing  a 
foreign  passenger. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Chinese  armies  under  com- 
mand of  General  Nieh  and  others  fought  with  a des- 
peration for  which  nothing  in  the  war  with  Japan  afforded 
any  parallel.  The  official  report  of  Yii  Lu  published  in 
the  “ Peking  Gazette  ” of  June  25th  and  subsequent  dates, 
is  an  interesting  document.  He  mentions  that  the  troops 
and  the  Boxers  are  in  cooperation,  and  that  the  latter 
were  willing  to  offer  their  services  freely  and  had  fully 
demonstrated  their  patriotism.  Their  numbers  actually 
present  at  Tientsin,  can  not,  he  says,  be  less  than  30,000, 
and  “ they  regard  the  burning  of  churches  and  the  killing 
of  foreigners  as  their  profession.”  So  did  His  Excellency, 
for  in  the  papers  captured  at  his  yamen  there  is  an  entry 
of  one  hundred  taels  as  having  been  paid  as  a reward  for 
the  heads  of  two  foreigners  ! 

The  net  result  of  all  this  Boxerism  and  of  the  sacrifice 
of  so  many  Chinese  soldiers  in  numerous  engagements 
was  that  the  Chinese  troops  were  utterly  routed  (even 
where  they  might  have  made  a formidable  stand  outside 
and  beyond  the  walls),  and  the  city  left  a prey  to  its  foes. 

Military  government  at  once  began,  and  so  likewise  did 
destruction  and  pillage.  When  the  whole  field  had  been 
surveyed  the  destruction  of  life  and  of  property  was 
found  to  have  been  enormous.  Of  the  former  it  is  im- 
possible to  speak  with  definiteness, but  of  the  latter  there 
were  everywhere  visible  proofs.  The  south  gate  which 
the  Japanese  blew  open,  and  at  which  they  entered,  had 
its  tower  totally  destroyed,  and  a temple  within  the  south- 
eastern quarter,  used  as  an  arsenal,  was  the  scene  of  a 
great  explosion.  Between  the  south  gate  and  the  cen- 
tral drum-tower  many  of  the  houses  and  shops  were 
burned,  and  between  this  tower  and  the  north  gate  noth- 


57« 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


ing  was  left  standing  on  either  side  of  the  street.  From 
the  drum-tower  to  the  west  gate  the  ruin  was  not  quite 
so  universal,  while  east  of  the  drum-tower  except  in  the 
vicinity  of  a mission  church  there  was  not  much  devasta- 
tion. 

Outside  the  north  gate,  the  narrow  street  extending 
to  the  iron  bridge  leading  to  the  yamen  of  the  Governor 
General  for  display  of  its  wares  and  for  the  extent  of  its 
trade,  was  perhaps  one  of  the  finest  in  all  China.  Be- 
tween the  Boxers,  the  Chinese  soldiers,  and  the  local 
ruffians  whose  habit  was  first  to  loot  and  then  to  burn, 
this  long  row  of  business  houses  was  almost  entirely  ob- 
literated, involving  losses  amounting  doubtless  to  tens  of 
millions  of  taels.  For  many  days  the  principal  occupa- 
tion of  many  soldiers,  and  civilians  also,  was  the  garner- 
ing of  the  rich  crop  of  looted  silver  from  the  innumerable 
places  where  it  was  to  be  found,  and  whence  it  was  car- 
ried off  by  the  wheel-barrow  load  and  the  cart  load.  It 
was  a standard  story  that  when  the  attention  of  a soldier 
was  called  to  the  fact  that  he  had  dropped  one  or  two 
“ shoes  ” (each  worth  about  $70  Mexican),  he  would  re- 
ply ; “ Never  mind,  you  pick  them  up — I have  all  I want ! ” 
The  treasure  found  in  the  various  yamens  must  have  been 
enough  to  furnish  a mint. 

The  fate  of  these  yamens  was  interesting  as  a part 
of  the  general  retribution.  That  of  the  Governor  General 
which  for  twenty-two  years  had  been  occupied  by  Li 
Hung  Chang  (a  large  part  of  it  accidentally  destroyed 
by  fire  during  the  winter),  became  the  headquarters  of  a 
“ Tientsin  Provisional  Government,”  established  by  the 
military  authorities,  when  it  was  found  that  there  were 
insuperable  objections  to  conceding  the  request  of  the 
Russians  thatTientsin'should  be  turned  over  to  that  Power 
alone.  This  Provisional  Government  was  constituted  by 


TIENTSIN  AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


579 


the  appointment  of  a British,  a Russian,  a Japanese,  and 
later  a German,  Colonel  to  act  as  Commissioners,  the 
number  being  subsequently  increased  to  six,  assisted  by 
the  necessary  staff  for  the  execution  of  the  functions  of 
policing  and  controlling  so  large  a city  and  so  important 
a centre. 

As  soon  as  Tientsin  was  taken  every  Chinese  official, 
civil  as  well  as  military,  promptly  disappeared,  and  most 
of  them  suffered  extreme  “ bitterness  ” on  the  flight 
southward,  being  systematically  pillaged  by  the  Chinese 
at  all  points  of  their  long  journey,  so  that  they  were  in 
many  cases  reduced  to  absolute  penury.  The  yamen  of 
the  Customs  Taotai  (one  of  the  most  important  in  the 
city)  was  occupied  by  the  Japanese ; that  of  the  Prefect 
by  the  French ; while  those  of  the  District  Magistrate,  of 
the  Salt  Commissioner,  and  of  the  Brigadier  General,  were 
reduced  to  complete  ruin.  Thus  an  incidental  outcome 
of  the  plan  of  the  officials  to  combine  the  Boxers  and 
the  Chinese  troops  to  drive  the  foreigners  into  the  sea, 
was  that  within  sixty  days  of  the  beginning  of  serious 
operations  officials,  Boxers,  and  Chinese  soldiers  had  ab- 
solutely disappeared  from  the  scene,  leaving  the  hated 
foreigner  in  undisputed  charge  of  everything  everywhere. 

The  fort  near  the  Governor  General’s  yamen  from 
which  the  settlement  had  been  viciously  attacked,  was 
soon  taken  by  the  Japanese,  who  posted  a small  guard 
over  it,  other  troops  occupying  the  numerous  forts  in  the 
immediate  vicinity.  Numbers  of  new  and  unused  Ivrupp 
guns  were  captured  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  city, 
showing  the  utter  demoralization  which  seized  the  Chinese 
soldiers  when  once  it  had  set  in. 

The  city  had  no  sooner  been  occupied  than  the  British 
and  other  officers  pressed  on  to  the  river  outside  the  north 
gate  to  seize  the  junks,  cargo-boats,  and  house-boats  for 


580 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


military  transports,  in  consequence  of  which  thereafter 
not  a boat  could  stir  nor  a boatman  peep  except  with 
military  consent.  Every  craft  of  every  sort  either  had 
the  label  of  some  “ outside  country  ” painted  upon  it — 
British  87,  U.  S.  Transport  63,  etc., — or  flew  a flag  with 
the  mystic  symbol  “ T.  P.  G.,”  showing  that  it  was  reg- 
istered and  licensed  by  the  Tientsin  Provisional  Govern- 
ment, as  were  the  carts,  barrows,  rikshas,  “ and  also  much 
cattle.” 

The  rice  tribute  came  to  an  abrupt  period,  and  all  the 
extensive  supplies  on  hand  were  soon  looked  after  by 
some  of  the  military,  who  were  at  once  omnipresent  and 
omnipotent.  The  long  mountain  ranges  of  salt  stocked  up 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Peiho,  had  over  them  a Russian 
flag  at  one  end,  and  a French  flag  at  the  other,  and  for 
the  next  year  or  so  no  salt-boats  left  for  the  interior, 
where  the  people  got  on  as  they  could. 

At  the  New  Year  season,  when  the  Chinese  most  de- 
light in  the  promiscuous  and  unrestrained  explosion  of 
innumerable  bunches  of  fire-crackers,  proclamations  were 
issued  in  Tientsin  (as  well  as  in  the  other  cities  under 
foreign  military  rule)  positively  forbidding  anything  of 
the  kind  on  pain  of  arrest  and  punishment.  Few  of  the 
hitherto  universally  posted  ornamental  and  flowery  in- 
scriptions over  doorways,  and  on  the  door-posts,  were  to 
be  seen,  and  such  was  the  terror  inspired  by  the  foreign 
soldiers  that  even  formal  bows  on  the  streets  (said  to 
be  forbidden  by  the  Japanese  police)  had  to  be  wholly 
pretermitted.  It  was  not  considered  altogether  safe  to 
perform  these  indispensable  ceremonies  even  in  the  pri- 
vacy of  one’s  own  court-yard,  where  even  women  were 
said  to  be  sometimes  arrested  for  indulging  in  the  in- 
evitable gambling  appropriate  to  the  period  of  national 
relaxation.  Under  these  strange  and  bitter  conditions 


TIENTSIN  AFTER  THE  SIEGE  581 


many  Chinese  were  heard  plaintively  to  exclaim  that  it 
would  have  been  better  not  to  have  any  New  Year  at  all ! 

A year  ago  the  word  “yang”  (foreign)  was  every- 
where so  odious  that  even  the  innocent  Mohammedans 
who  sold  “yang  jou”  (sheep-meat,  a word  with  the  same 
sound  but  different  meaning),  were  attacked  on  that  ac- 
count. Everything  foreign  was  taboo,  or  if  indispensable 
was  dubbed  with  a new  name.  Foreign  drilling  must 
be  called  “ fine  cloth  ” or  “ wide  cloth,”  foreign  rifles 
“ knobbed-guns,”  foreign  matches  “ quick-fire,”  and  the 
like.  But  now  Chinese  were  everywhere  to  be  met, 
dressed  in  foreign  hats,  coats,  trousers,  and  boots  (and 
in  winter  even  in  hitherto  unprecedented  mittens  and 
gloves),  the  cast-off  property  of  soldiers  and  civilians. 
All  classes  learned  the  military  salute  with  more  or  less 
inaccuracy,  the  smallest  children  ostentatiously  perform- 
ing it  before  every  passer  by,  and  old  beggar  women  care- 
fully shaded  one  eye  under  the  impression  that  they  were 
thus  punctiliously  observing  the  foreign  proprieties  while 
soliciting  a “ foreign  cash.” 

The  fate  of  the  materials  which  were  especially  de- 
pended upon  for  the  destruction  of  the  hated  foreigner 
is  an  apt  illustration  of  the  miscarriage  of  plans  which 
seem  to  their  promoters  the  best  laid  in  the  world.  The 
Arsenal  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  city  was  found 
stocked  with  weapons  of  the  most  miscellaneous  nature,  all 
of  which  were  taken  over  by  the  Provisional  Government 
and  issued  to  whatever  foreigner  presented  a request  for 
them  as  a defence  to  his  life  and  property.  Lead  from 
this  Arsenal  and  elsewhere  was  collected  by  the  Provi- 
sional Government,  melted  into  200  pound  bars,  and 
shipped  to  Shanghai  in  large  quantities,  the  proceeds 
going  to  swell  the  handsome  revenues  which  were  pres- 
ently pouring  into  the  coffers  of  that  energetic  corpora- 


582 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


tion,  which  with  conspicuous  success  undertook  many 
branches  of  administration  hitherto  distributed  among  a 
score  or  more  of  yamens,  or  left  altogether  undone. 

The  right  to  excavate  and  remove  the  remains  of  the 
Arsenal  at  Hsiku  partly  destroyed  by  Admiral  Seymour’s 
party  was  sold  at  auction,  the  purchaser  unearthing  vast 
lava-flows  of  lead  and  other  metal  melted  in  the  general 
combustion,  to  the  enrichment  of  the  foreigner  and  the 
impoverishment  of  the  Chinese  Government. 

For  two  months  after  the  siege  the  people  of  Tientsin, 
many  of  whom  had  fled  to  villages  at  a distance,  were 
afraid  to  return,  but  by  degrees  the  city  began  to  look 
less  deserted,  and  the  Taku  road  which  passes  through 
the  foreign  settlement  began  to  assume  something  of  its 
wonted  activity.  Numerically  considered,  the  destruction 
of  dwellings  in  the  city  itself  was  a small  matter  when 
compared  with  that  in  the  environs.  The  densely  crowded 
main  street  running  through  the  French  concession,  upon 
which  were  most  of  the  Chinese  shops  dealing  in  foreign 
goods,  was  totally  destroyed,  not  a single  building  left 
standing.  Some  of  them  were  burned  by  the  foreigners 
during  the  siege  to  prevent  them  from  being  used  as  forts 
to  attack  the  foreign  houses,  and  then  the  shops  were 
looted  by  whomever  could  get  there  first.  Large  tracts 
of  the  French  concession  were  burned  in  the  same  way, 
for  since  so  much  was  being  destroyed  it  would  be  con- 
venient to  have  the  whole  area  laid  out  anew,  and  no 
questions  asked. 

On  the  east  of  the1  river  around  the  railway  station, 
where  the  fighting  was  most  furious,  not  a Chinese  dwell- 
ing was  left,  nor  for  a long  distance  in  any  direction. 
The  villages  along  the  river  between  Tientsin  and  Taku 
have  likewise  been  destroyed,  and  the  same  was  true  on 
every  side  of  the  city,  but  in  varying  degrees.  This  ex- 


TIENTSIN  AFTER  THE  SIEGE  583 


tensive  diminution  in  the  number  of  houses,  resulted  in 
great  inconvenience  and  discomfort,  and,  when  the  cold 
weather  came  on,  in  unspeakable  misery.  Extravagant 
rents  were  demanded  for  the  meanest  huts ; even  more 
serious  than  the  lack  of  an  abode  was  the  difficulty  of 
buying  food  and  the  scarcity  of  fuel,  for  the  rains  had 
been  deficient,  and  the  crops,  such  as  they  were,  had 
been  neglected. 

Prices  were  at  a preposterous  figure,  while  wages,  ow- 
ing to  the  irrational  standard  set  by  the  military,  seemed 
to  promise  sudden  riches,  forty  cents  being  paid  for  the 
labor  of  a short  day,  instead  of  twenty  as  heretofore. 
Cash  ceased  to  be  the  topic  of  conversation,  as  it  had 
been  since  the  creation  of  all  things,  and  all  the  talk  was 
of  “mao”  (dimes),  and  “yuan”  (dollars).  But  this 
fictitious  prosperity  had  its  outcome  in  the  fact  that  in- 
stead of  one’s  buying  for  cash — a tenth  of  a cent — as  a 
unit,  almost  nothing  was  to  be  had  for  less  than  ten  cents, 
so  that  in  terms  of  food  and  clothes  no  one  was  much 
better  ofif  than  before. 

To  these  evils  due  to  a violation  of  the  laws  of  political 
economy,  were  added  others  arising  primarily  from  a 
contempt  for  the  laws  of  nations.  China  had  defied  the 
world,  and  the  world  was  upon  her.  With  such  a poly- 
glot force  of  troops  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  keep 
them  in  order,  and  as  a matter  of  fact  it  was  not  done. 
Some  of  the  Russian,  the  French,  the  Indian,  and  the 
German  troops  distinguished  themselves  as  high-way 
robbers,  plundering  the  Chinese  of  their  money,  their 
goods,  and  their  clothing,  and  this  in  broad  daylight  and 
in  public  places. 

Military  raids  into  the  regions  about  Tientsin  were 
made  in  all  directions,  and  although  it  is  impossible  to 
get  at  the  facts  it  is  certain  that  the  three  shortest  of 


584 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


the  Ten  Commandments  were  constantly  violated  on  an 
extensive  scale,  and  with  no  redress  for  “ the  heathen 
Chinese.”  Every  individual  coolie  must  have  a label 
sewed  to  his  coat,  or  he  might  be  commandeered  by  an 
urgent  military  officer  for  his  particular  job,  perhaps 
being  paid  good  wages,  and  perhaps  at  the  end  being 
dismissed  with  a kick.  Lest  their  badges  be  stolen  from 
them  for  the  protection  of  others,  some  of  the  Chinese 
had  brass  plates  clamped  to  their  arms,  and  many  poor 
fellows  after  working  hard  all  day  on  their  way  to  their 
hovels  had  the  results  of  their  toil  snatched  from  them  by 
a French  trooper  from  Algiers,  or  a German  from  Kiao- 
chou. 

The  native  scoundrels  who  had  lately  been  drawing  ra- 
tions from  the  Governor  General  as  “ patriotic  Boxers,” 
had  thrown  away  their  red  girdles,  and  while  the  looting 
season  lasted  gave  themselves  to  that  industry  with  a 
single  eye  and  with  both  hands  earnestly.  If  however, 
one  continued  poor,  he  mingled  with  the  crowrd  and  of- 
fered his  services  as  a policeman  of  the  Provisional  Gov- 
ernment, where  he  might  levy  black-mail  indiscriminately, 
since  there  was  no  one  to  testify  to  his  past  record. 
Now  and  then,  as  a result  of  too  great  temerity  one  such 
lost  his  head,  but  this  was  regarded  as  a mere  incident 
in  the  ordinary  line  of  risks,  and  had  no  deterring  effect 
upon  others. 

The  professional  rowdies  and  blacklegs  of  Tientsin, 
as  the  fruit  of  their  prudent  exertions  at  the  moment  of 
destiny,  are  now  rich  and  prosperous,  while  those  who 
were  formerly  well-to-do  are  either  in  exile  or  in  poverty. 
As  one  outcome  of  this  inversion  of  the  social  order,  the 
poor  being  suddenly  rich  and  the  rich  becoming  poor,  the 
numerous  and  important  charities  of  Tientsin  wTere  largely 
dried  up  at  the  fountain-head.  The  soup-kitchens  which 


TIENTSIN  AFTER  THE  SIEGE  585 


usually  flourish  were  sought  in  vain,  and  although  there 
are  still  a few  benevolent  gentry  who  would  gladly  do 
something  for  those  in  distress,  their  inadequate  resources 
are,  in  classical  language,  but  “ a cup  of  water  to  put  out 
a fire  in  a cart-load  of  fuel.” 

Whatever  the  excellences  of  the  Tientsin  Provisional 
Government,  which  within  a certain  radius  were  many, 
it  entirely  failed  in  the  first  principle  of  good  administra- 
tion, that  the  work  should  be  done  through  the  Chinese 
themselves.  Li  Hung  Chang  indeed  appointed  a District 
Magistrate,  a Prefect,  and  a territorial  Taotai,  not  one 
of  whom  was  allowed  by  the  six  military  “ kings  ” who 
held  the  actual  authority  to  open  an  office  in  the  city, 
even  if  he  could  set  foot  in  it  with  safety.  The  last 
named  official,  who  is  a man  of  weight  and  dignity  in 
the  Chinese  scale  of  rank,  ought  to  ride  in  a chair,  and 
appear  in  his  robes  of  office,  but  he  was  ordered  out  of 
Tientsin  as  if  his  arrival  were  an  impertinence,  and  was 
not  even  allowed  to  have  a place  of  business  anywhere 
within  the  county  limits.  When  he  called  upon  the 
“ kings  ” he  dared  not  appear  in  his  proper  costume, 
but  only  in  undress  clothing,  being  rightly  assured  that 
they  would  never  know  the  difference. 

The  whole  Chinese  system  of  government  is  one  of 
graded  and  interrelated  responsibility.  By  their  wanton 
acts  of  violence  the  Chinese  at  Tientsin  put  an  end  to 
their  own  rule,  and  that  which  took  its  place  was  at 
best  limited,  inadequate,  and  irresponsible.  The  inces- 
sant raids  of  the  military  drove  away  the  officials  in  wide 
tracts  of  country,  over  which  there  was  no  government 
of  any  kind.  Bands  of  pirates  who  usually  rob  water- 
craft and  hide  up  the  inaccessible  creeks  and  bays,  now 
ranged  the  country  as  mounted  thieves.  Their  only  and 
inappeasable  cry  was  for  “ silver.”  If  that  were  not 


586 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


forthcoming,  the  poor  wretch  who  was  attacked  might  be 
tied  by  the  queue  to  a beam  in  his  own  house  and  slowly 
roasted  over  a fire  of  fuel.  This  is  termed  “ sitting  on 
the  lotus  flower..”  Or  he  might  be  forced  into  a frame- 
work of  telegraph-wire  heated  red-hot,  which  is  called 
“ riding  on  the  fire-wheel  cart,”  until  he  should  pay  the 
sum  demanded.  When  complaint  was  made  to  the  Pro- 
visional Government,  the  very  natural  reply  was  received 
that  they  had  at  present  (although  later  it  was  other- 
wise) no  jurisdiction  beyond  the  outer  rampart  of  Tien- 
tsin— all  the  rest  was  a No-man’s  land  dedicated  to  mis- 
rule and  to  primeval  chaos ! 

The  great  eastern  arsenal,  from  which  the  attacks  upon 
the  settlement  were  so  fierce  and  persistent,  was  captured 
by  the  Russians  on  the  27th  of  June,  and  although  largely 
destroyed  as  a work-shop  for  weapons,  became  an  excel- 
lent Russian  hospital.  The  western  arsenal,  in  the 
“ Treaty  Temple,”  was  a complete  wreck,  and  all  its  ma- 
chinery was  sold  to  private  speculators  by  the  Provisional 
Government,  and  was  stacked  up  in  a melancholy  row 
next  to  the  foreign  cemetery  on  the  British  Concession. 
The  huge  bell  presented  by  the  Krupp  Company  to  the 
Chinese  Government  long  years  ago,  was  in  turn  pre- 
sented by  the  Provisional  Government  to  the  Tientsin 
British  Municipal  Council,  where  it  hangs  in  the  Pub- 
lic Gardens,  and  is  expected  to  give  the  settlement  its 
much-needed  standard  of  time.  Could  the  military 
humiliation  of  Tientsin  go  deeper  than  this? 

The  land  lying  between  Tientsin  city  and  the  settle- 
ments had  gradually  increased  in  value  to  the  extent  of 
many  hundred  per  cent,  and  as  much  of  it  was  dotted 
with  graves  it  was  not  to  be  had  at  any  price.  Not  many 
months  after  the  capture  of  the  city  the  French  Consul 
General  issued  a circular  notifying  the  public  that  that 


ARSENAL,  TIENTSIN  RUINS  OF  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CATHEDRAL,  TIENTSIN 


TIENTSIN  AFTER  THE  SIEGE  587 


office  “ did  not  recognize  ” the  validity  of  any  Chinese 
deeds  drawn  before  the  17th  of  June  (the  date  of  the 
capture  of  the  Taku  forts),  and  that  within  specified  and 
expansive  limits  all  land  had  now  by  this  fiat  become  the 
property  of  the  French  Municipal  Council,  any  previous 
deeds  requiring  to  be  registered  at  the  Consulate.  In 
pursuance  of  this  act  of  annexation  the  ruins  of  Chinese 
houses  were  leveled,  broad  boulevards  laid  out  in  de- 
sirable directions,  and  all  plaints  of  Chinese  owners  for 
compensation  answered  with  a shrug  of  the  shoulders. 
As  much  of  this  land  had  swarmed  with  dwellings,  the 
hardship  to  innocent  owners  was  great  and  remediless, 
and  presently  these  unfortunate  individuals  found  them- 
selves required  to  pay  a tax  of  several  dollars  a month 
for  the  right  to  continue  in  temporary  occupation  of  their 
own  houses ! These  additions  to  the  French  territory 
extended  from  the  settlement,  north  to  the  river,  and 
thence  west  to  the  rampart  enclosing  the  city.  Upon  a 
large  part  of  this  it  is  announced  that  in  future  no 
Chinese  will  be  allowed  to  live. 

Immediately  adjoining  this  is  the  Japanese  quarter,  em- 
bracing the  whole  battlefield  of  July  13th,  and  extending 
to  the  south  wall  of  the  city,  and  east  and  west  from  the 
Peiho  to  the  mud  rampart.  The  densely  crowded  houses 
had  almost  all  been  destroyed,  and  over  the  ruins  of  every 
door  was  posted  a sign  in  Japanese  and  Chinese : “ This 
house  reserved  for  Japanese  troops.” 

Along  the  whole  frontage  of  their  extensive  addition 
they  demolished  all  buildings,  dwellings,  shops,  yamens 
and  temples  with  the  rest,  and  opened  a wide  street  along 
the  water  front,  which  the  Provisional  Government  con- 
tinued the  whole  distance  to  the  Grand  Canal,  and  to  the 
Iron  Bridge  opposite  the  yamen  of  the  Governor  General. 
Innumerable  Chinese  shops  and  dens  thus  disappeared. 


588 


CHINA.  IN  CONVULSION 


The  boulevard  which  replaces  the  narrow  and  tortuous 
alleys  is  macadamized  and  wholesome — but  it  is  by  no 
means  certain  that  the  late  Chinese  occupants  are  entirely 
happy. 

In  continuation  of  this  new  avenue  it  was  decided 
by  the  Provisional  Government  to  make  a roadway  en- 
tirely around  the  city,  but  this  could  only  be  accomplished 
by  the  removal  of  the  city  wall.  A contract  for  this  work 
was  given  out  to  a Chinese,  who,  during  the  winter 
months  hired  armies  of  the  poor,  thus  having  the  melan- 
choly satisfaction  of  assisting  in  destroying  the  defences 
of  the  city  which  had  so  recently  felt  the  need  of  them. 
Multitudes  of  “ squatters  ” along  the  city  wall  were 
thereby  dislodged  and  had  no  place  to  go,  and  such  was 
the  number  of  homeless  wretches  in  the  bitter  months  of 
the  winter,  that  every  temple  was  choked  with  them,  and 
they  filled  even  the  jail  of  the  yamen  of  the  District  Magis- 
trate, an  official  for  whom  there  was  now  no  yamen  and 
no  use.  The  whole  city  wall  was  levelled,  the  city  moat 
filled  up,  and  adjacent  dwellings  demolished,  all  to  make 
a long  esplanade,  sixty  or  more  feet  wide,  encircling  Tien- 
tsin, looking  to  the  probable  introduction  of  an  electric 
road  to  accommodate  the  steadily  growing  and  hitherto 
unmanageable  traffic. 

A proceeding  so  revolutionary  could  not  take  place 
without  exciting  the  most  bitter  opposition  from  the  gen- 
try and  the  people,  who  sent  repeated  and  urgent  memo- 
rials to  Li  Hung  Chang  against  it,  pleading  piteously  in 
the  figurative  language  of  the  Orient  that  a Chinese  city 
without  walls  is  like  a woman  without  her  nether  gar- 
ments ! Li  quashed  their  petitions  with  the  curt  remark 
that  the  wall  was  old  and  of  no  protective  value,  and  the 
work  went  on  apace  to  its  completion.  In  the  meantime 
the  official  surveyor  of  the  Provisional  Government  was 


TIENTSIN  AFTER  THE  SIEGE  589 


set  at  work  to  map  out  the  whole  region,  and  to  mark  out 
a street  of  uniform  width  from  the  north  to  the  south 
gate,  remorselessly  cutting  off  several  feet  from  each  shop- 
front for  the  advantage  of  that  hitherto  disregarded  en- 
tity, the  Public.  The  extensive  ponds  and  holes  in  dif- 
ferent corners  of  the  city  are  all  to  be  filled  up,  and 
the  land  offered  for  sale,  and  as  every  situation  is  in- 
comparably more  accessible  than  before,  the  ultimate 
convenience  will  be  great,  while  the  actual  owners  may 
perhaps  be  heavy  losers. 

The  mountains  of  bricks  from  the  facing  of  the  city 
wall  were  exposed  for  sale,  and  now  form  the  enclosing 
walls  and  the  pavements  of  foreign  premises  on  the 
settlements,  whose  owners  a few  months  since  were  shot 
at  and  bombarded  by  soldiers  posted  on  that  same  city 
wall  and  perhaps  treading  on  these  very  bricks.  Through- 
out all  the  streets  and  alleys  of  Tientsin,  and  the  other 
cities  similarly  governed,  the  houses  are  all  numbered 
with  Arabic  figures,  and  many  of  the  streets  have  been 
renamed,  especially  by  the  Japanese,  who  appear  to  re- 
gard their  settlement  as  merely  an  addition  to  the  Islands 
of  Nippon. 

Below  the  mud  rampart  so  often  mentioned,  the  Ger- 
mans, by  the  same  simple  formula  now  exclusively  em- 
ployed, have  annexed  a large  tract  which  has  become  an 
integral  part  of  the  German  Empire.  Across  the  Peiho 
on  the  east,  the  same  facile  plan  has  been  followed  by 
Belgium,  by  Russia  (whose  miles  of  addition  included 
the  railway  station,  and  brought  two  Empires  to  the  very 
verge  of  war),  and  by  Italy  and  Austria.  Each  of  these 
nations  has  now  broad  areas  dignified  by  the  satirical 
designations  of  “ Concessions,”  but  which  might  rather 
be  styled  “ Aggressions.” 

All  the  “ Powers  ” (except  China)  are  now  accommo- 


590 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


dated  with  a commodious  water-front,  nearly  the  whole 
distance  from  the  junction  of  the  Grand  Canal  and  the 
Peiho  being  appropriated  in  this  way,  with  the  prospect 
of  larger  demands  for  the  “ hinterlands  ” of  each  section 
in  the  future. 

The  foreign  settlements  of  Tientsin  have  been  turned 
into  a camp,  and  its  principal  buildings  occupied  for  mili- 
tary purposes.  The  Gordon  Municipal  Hall  was  a British, 
and  the  Union  Church  an  Italian  hospital.  The  Japanese 
took  the  building  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. ; the  Temperance 
Hail  was  filled  with  Sikhs,  the  Tientsin  University  with 
Germans,  the  Chinese  Military  and  Medical  School  with 
French.  All  nations,  all  races,  were  on  perpetual  exhibi- 
tion. One  might  see  everywhere  the  sturdy  little  Japa- 
nese ; the  coarse-featured,  stocky  Russian ; the  somewhat 
undersized  Frenchman  (perhaps  a company  of  Zouaves 
from  Algiers  in  flaming  scarlet  trousers  of  astonishing 
size  and  shape)  ; the  burly  young  German ; the  stout  Brit- 
isher of  the  Royal  Welsh  Fusiliers ; the  lithe  American ; 
together  with  a motley  flow  of  tall  and  swart  Sikhs,  Pa- 
thans,  Beluchis,  and  Rajputs,  as  well  as  the  Chinese  or- 
ganized into  the  British  First  Regiment  of  Wei  Hai  Wei ; 
here  and  there  an  Austrian,  Italians  decorated  with  huge 
tufts  of  feathers  on  their  hats,  and  occasionally  the 
shrewd  white-turbaned  Parsee. 

To  deal  with  the  problem  of  the  commissariat  for  all 
this  mixed  multitude  was  a mighty  task. 

In  the  dead  of  night  one  might  detect  the  deep  tones 
of  the  bells  hung  to  the  neck  of  long  strings  of  camels 
loaded  with  stores  for  Peking,  a mode  of  transportation 
not  seen  in  Tientsin  for  decades,  and  only  employed  while 
the  railway  was  undergoing  its  slow  repairs.  The  streets 
were  choked  with  interminable  processions  of  British 
pack  animals,  lines  of  the  capacious  Studebaker  American 


FIRST  BRITISH-CHINESE  REGIMENT,  WEI  HAI  WEI 


RUSSIAN  TROOPS  EX  ROUTE  TO  PEKING 


TIENTSIN  AFTER  THE  SIEGE  591 

army  wagon,  the  clumsy  forage  carts  of  the  Russians, 
German  vehicles  bought  from  the  Dutch  and  made  in 
Java,  and  the  trig  little  trucks  of  the  Japanese.  The  big 
humped  Indian  buffalo  drew  a light  framework  support- 
ing a water-barrel  for  the  Mohammedan  troops,  and  long 
lines  of  all  descriptions  of  wheeled  drays  or  carts  struggled 
at  the  hydrants,  or  at  the  hose-pipes  furnishing  distilled 
water. 

The  enterprising  Cantonese,  who  owned  most  of  the 
Chinese  stores  dealing  in  foreign  goods,  being  regarded 
by  the  Tientsinese  as  practically  foreigners,  were  either 
driven  away  or  killed,  and  their  possessions  impartially 
looted.  The  “ Tientsin  Road  ” on  the  French  settlement, 
formerly  filled  with  these  shops  from  end  to  end,  was 
totally  destroyed,  and  their  places  taken  by  French  bar- 
racks. The  Temple  of  the  “ Purple  Bamboo  Grove  ” 
(Tzu  Chu  Lin)  which  gave  its  name  to  the  settlement, 
was  wholly  demolished  and  burned,  its  site  being  heaped 
with  the  timbers  of  wrecked  buildings.  The  once  stylish 
Victoria  Road  was  lined  with  patient  Chinese  squatting  in 
attendance  upon  stands  (if  that  can  be  called  a “ stand  ” 
which  is  merely  a cloth  spread  upon  the  ground),  dis- 
playing a stock  of  pears,  eggs,  turnips,  and  the  odds  and 
ends  saved  or  plundered  from  the  wreck  of  the  numerous 
stores  dealing  in  foreign  goods — candles,  lamps,  chimneys, 
towels,  socks,  mirrors,  pictures,  and  all  the  miscellaneous 
wares  found  in  Chinese  shops,  each  “ stand  ” a small  de- 
partment store  in  itself. 

New  places  of  business  burst  forth  in  unexpected  spots. 
A gate-house  suddenly  developed  a glass-window  on  the 
side  to  the  street  with  the  legend:  “ Exchange  to  Money,” 
for  the  coin  was  most  confusing.  Counterfeit  dollars  and 
fractional  currency  abounded,  so  that  one  was  afraid  to 
take  any  change  at  all.  The  city  which  hated  foreigners 


592 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


and  their  speech  began  to  be  full  of  signs  in  English, 
Japanese,  French,  and  German,  perhaps  informing  the 
passer-by  that  “ Japan  Wishky  are  sold  here,”  or  that  the 
proprietor  was  prepared,  for  a consideration,  to  “ Makee 
tattoo  in  the  skin.” 

It  is  a melancholy  fact  that  it  was  the  worst  phase  of 
Occidental  civilization  which  was  displayed  most  widely 
and  conspicuously  to  the  Chinese,  and  that  they  were 
given  the  very  best  reason  to  suppose  that  the  principal 
object  of  every  “ ocean  man  ” was  to  find  a place  in  which 
to  drink. 

The  entire  lower  end  of  the  Taku  Road  was  filled  with 
saloons  and  disreputable  resorts  of  every  variety,  where 
roistering  crowds  of  foreign  soldiers  from  all  the  great 
countries  of  the  world  nightly  met,  and  drank,  and  fought. 
Privates  and  officers,  the  latter  too  in  considerable  num- 
bers, were  shot  and  killed  during  the  winter  in  quarrels 
between  different  contingents  of  the  “ China  Expedition- 
ary Force,”  and  more  than  once  the  French  and  the 
Americans,  the  British  and  the  French,  or  the  Russians 
and  the  British,  seemed  to  be  on  the  point  of  open  hostili- 
ties, with  no  greater  cause  than  some  private  bar  room 
dispute  or  a national  feud  growing  out  of  hotly  recipro- 
cated taunts  and  flings. 

All  this,  however,  belongs  to  an  exceptional  and  a tran- 
sitional state.  Tientsin  is  undergoing  a great  transforma- 
tion. It  is  sure  to  be  in  the  future  far  more  than  hitherto 
a vast  commercial  distributing  depot,  its  river  deepened 
and  straightened,  the  navigation  improved,  and  the  in- 
tractable Taku  bar  brought  under  effective  control.  It 
will  be  a great  manufacturing,  railway,  and  educational 
centre,  and  before  the  twentieth  century  is  well  under 
way  will  enjoy  a prosperity  unthought  of  in  the  past, 


TIENTSIN  AFTER  THE  SIEGE 


593 

which  will  make  the  year  of  the  Boxer  rising  seem  in 
retrospect  like  a troubled  dream. 

And  all  this  it  will  owe  to  the  far-sightedness,  energy, 
persistence,  and  skill  of  the  foreigners  for  whom  in  the 
closing  year  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  Chinese  Gov- 
ernment and  the  Chinese  people  had  no  other  wish  than 
to  kill  them  all. 


XXXII 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR 

TO  describe  in  detail  the  experiences  of  the  great 
number  of  foreigners  who  were  scattered  all 
over  the  interior  of  an  Empire  far  larger  than 
the  whole  of  Europe,  would  of  itself  require  a volume. 
All  that  can  here  be  attempted  is  such  a rapid  survey 
as  to  make  clear  that  the  Boxer  movement  was  in  no 
sense  a “ rebellion,”  which  it  soon  became  the  interest 
of  the  Government  itself  and  especially  of  its  Ministers 
abroad  to  represent  it  to  be,  but  a deliberately  planned  and 
comprehensive  attempt  to  exterminate  foreigners  wher- 
ever found. 

That  there  were  edicts  issued  from  the  Central  Gov- 
ernment in  Peking  to  different  and  distant  parts  of  the 
Empire  ordering  the  immediate  massacre  of  all  foreign- 
ers, is  certain.  The  evidence  is  of  a varied  and  convincing 
nature.  Intelligence  of  such  a Decree  was  brought  to 
missionaries  and  others  by  friends  in  the  vamens,  by 
friendly  telegraph  operators,  and  by  officials — some  of 
them  of  high  rank — in  at  least  three  provinces  and  in 
numerous  places  hundreds  of  miles  apart,  almost 
simultaneously.  Twice  at  least  the  original  dispatch  was 
seen  by  foreigners,  and  its  phraseology  is  indelibly  en- 
graved on  the  memories  of  those  who  were  stunned  by 
the  appalling  and  unexampled  words:  " Feng  Yang-jcn 

pi  sha,  yang-jen  t’ui  hui  chi  sha,”  “ Whenever  you  meet 

594 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  595 


foreigners  you  must  kill  them,  and  if  they  attempt  to 
escape  they  must  still  immediately  be  killed.” 

It  has  been  generally  believed  that  the  two  Ministers 
of  the  Tsung  Li  Yamen  who  were  executed  during  the 
progress  of  the  siege  in  Peking,  Hsu  Ching  Ch’eng,  and 
Yuan  Ch’ang,  admitted  that  they  had  altered  the  char- 
acter for  “kill,”  into  another  meaning  “protect”  (pao), 
and  this  is  said  to  have  been  affirmed  by  the  son  of  one 
of  them,  and  assigned  as  a reason  for  their  decapitation. 
This  point  remains  in  some  obscurity,  for  several  different 
reasons.  As  a matter  of  fact  the  dispatch  was  not 
altered  within  the  numerous  regions  where  it  most  seri- 
ously affected  foreigners,  and  in  the  case  of  Imperial 
Edicts  it  is  thought  incredible  that  any  one  should  dare 
to  take  such  a step  at  once  fatal  and  futile.  It  was  of 
course  convenient  both  for  the  Governors  General  and 
Governors  who  refused  to  obey  this  Decree  and  later  for 
the  Chinese  Government  itself  to  assume  that  it  was 
“ spurious,”  a legal  fiction  which  has  been  consistently 
maintained,  and  will  doubtless  remain  as  the  standard 
explanation  among  the  Chinese,  and  among  many  for- 
eigners. The  theory  in  that  case  is  that  Prince  Tuan  was 
“ a usurper,”  and  that  his  clique  gained  possession  of  the 
seals  of  State,  and  for  a time  put  the  real  “ Government  ” 
under  duress. 

It  is  a Chinese  maxim  that  “ an  officer  depends  upon 
his  seal,” — losing  that  he  loses  his  office  too,  and  having 
the  seal  he  ex  officio  is  the  person  to  whom  the  seal  be- 
longs. Prince  Tuan  was  put  in  power  by  the  deliberate 
act  of  the  Empress  Dowager  herself  for  a definite  pur- 
pose, and  there  seems  to  be  no  evidence  that  his  acts 
were  either  disavowed  by  her,  or  in  any  way  objection- 
able to  her  until  their  consequences  became  so.  After 
that,  the  adoption  of  the  theory  of  “ spurious  Decrees  ” 


596  CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 

was  inevitable,  and  has  been  definitely  fixed  by  an  Edict, 
as  from  the  Emperor,  ordering  the  collection  of  all  the 
Decrees  issued  after  the  siege  of  the  Legations  began,  that 
their  genuineness  might  be  officially  denied,  so  as  to  put 
an  end  to  their  citation  as  acts  of  “ the  Government  of 
China.”  But  it  should  be  distinctly  recognized  that  such 
disavowal  has  no  real  bearing  upon  historic  facts,  and 
can  in  no  way  undo  the  irreparable  past. 

In  this  connection  peculiar  interest  attaches  to  the  ac- 
companying note  from  Sir  Robert  Hart,  Inspector-Gen- 
eral of  the  Chinese  Imperial  Maritime  Customs: 

“ Peking  18 th  June , 1901. 

“ Dear  Dr.  Smith  : 

“ It  would  be  interesting  to  get  a really  reliable  Chinese 
account  of  Palace  doings — and  Peking  doings — during 
1900:  As  it  is,  we  are  all  guessing  and  inferring  and 

putting  this  and  that  together,  but  we  have  not  got  at  the 
facts  yet  ! It’s  all  a question  with  no  finality  in  it — you 
may  put  down  your  pen,  but  every  new  touch  will  bring 
a new  picture  to  the  eye  that  looks  through  the  kaleido- 
scope of  history — and  the  Aurora  Borealis  of  circum- 
stance will  change  unceasingly. 

“ Truly  yours, 

“ ROBERT  HART.” 

While  the  Empress  Dowager  may  not  have  had  per- 
sonal knowledge  of  every  Decree  put  forth  in  her  name,  it 
is  morally  certain  that  without  her  general  sanction  none 
of  them  could  have  been  issued.  That  she  was  kept  mis- 
informed of  the  actual  conditions  is  altogether  likely,  and 
nothing  is  more  probable,  if  not  indeed  certain,  than  that 
the  decisive  and  irrevocable  step  was  taken  in  one  of 
those  paroxysms  of  fury  to  which  all  Chinese  and  Man- 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  597 


598 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


chus,  high  and  low,  the  latter  quite  as  much  as  the 
former,  are  perpetually  liable. 

That  this  act  was  itself  caused  by  a piece  of  intelli- 
gence received  just  before  the  decision  was  taken,  which 
exerted  a powerful  influence  on  the  mind  of  the  Empress 
Dowager,  has  been  often  and  confidently  affirmed,  and 
is  in  itself  so  natural  an  explanation  of  her  sudden  anger 
that,  while  it  is  impossible  at  present  to  prove  it,  there 
is  yet  sufficient  evidence  to  adopt  it  as  an  hypothesis.  It 
must  be  premised  that  it  had  long  been  the  habit  of  the 
Court  to  have  translations  made  from  the  foreign  jour- 
nals in  China  for  palace  perusal,  many  of  which  must 
have  been  particularly  unpleasant  reading. 

The  story  is  that  on  the  19th  of  June  an  unknown  offi- 
cial in  Shanghai  sent  to  the  Grand  Council  in  Peking  a 
telegram  embodying  the  substance  of  something  which 
had  there  appeared.  What  that  article  was  is  not  known, 
but  that  there  were  editorials  printed  at  that  time  which 
would  have  been  likely  to  produce  such  effects  is  indis- 
putable. Of  that  type  is  the  following  paragraph,  which 
appeared  in  the  leading  journal  of  the  Far  East,  the 
“ North  China  Daily  News,”  on  the  morning  of  June 
19th,  1900. 

“ The  Empress  Dowager  is  reaping  the  whirlwind  with 
a vengeance,  and  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  she  will 
stay  in  Peking  to  gather  the  harvest.  . . . Instead  of 
having  one  or  two  Powers  to  pacify,  China  is  at  war  with 
all  the  Great  Powers  at  once,  and  she  is  at  war  by  the 
choice  of  the  Empress  Dowager  and  her  gang.  . . . 
Whatever  happens,  this  gang,  if  it  does  not  go  of  its  own 
accord,  must  be  driven  out  of  Peking.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  it  will  be  possible  to  get  out  the  Emperor  Kuang 
Hsu  and  replace  him  on  the  throne.  Meantime,  it  should 
be  made  perfectly  clear  that  it  is  the  Empress  Dowager 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  599 


who  has  undertaken  the  present  war,  and  that  we  are  not 
fighting  China,  but  the  usurping  Government  at  Peking.” 

This  newspaper,  which  has  for  a sub-title  “ The  Su- 
preme Court  and  Consular  Gazette,”  might  very  naturally 
pass  among  the  Chinese  for  what  is  remote  enough  from 
its  real  character,  the  organ  of  the  British  Government 
and  its  official  spokesman,  although  the  smallest  acquaint- 
ance with  the  facts  would  show  any  reader  that  it  was 
the  almost  incessant  critic  of  the  acts  of  that  Government. 

The  Relief  Expedition  under  Admiral  Seymour  had 
been  already  ten  days  on  its  way  from  Tientsin  to  Peking. 
Should  it  succeed  in  entering  the  city  this  was  to  be  its 
program,  and  no  faltering  for  sentimental  reasons  was 
to  be  allowed:  “The  Empress  Dowager  was  to  be  de- 
posed,”— the  mere  suggestion  of  which  had  brought  about 
the  coup  d'etat  of  1898.  “ Hell  has  no  fury  like  a woman 
scorned  ” — and  the  rest  we  know. 

Attention  has  been  repeatedly  called  in  these  pages  to 
the  fact  that  the  greatest  hostility  to  foreigners  in  China 
arose  among  the  Manchus,  rather  than  the  Chinese.  In 
the  Grand  Council  the  former  were  represented  as  being 
practically  unanimous  in  favour  of  defying  the  world, 
while  the  latter  offered  strenuous  albeit  unavailing  ob- 
jections. The  leading  officials  at  the  bottom  of  the  move- 
ment, with  a few  prominent  exceptions,  were  Manchus. 
Among  the  singular  phenomena  of  this  strange  time  was 
the  frankness  with  which  Chinese  Ministers  abroad  ex- 
pressed themselves  in  regard  to  the  policy  of  the  Gov- 
ernment at  home,  in  marked  contrast  to  the  usual  cau- 
tion of  all  Chinese  officials  in  refusing  to  commit  them- 
selves. Press  reports  of  utterances  of  this  sort  on  the 
part  of  the  Minister  to  Great  Britain  (Lo  Feng  Lu),  the 
Minister  to  France,  and  the  Minister  to  the  United  States 
(Wu  Ting  Fang),  agreed  in  thus  fixing  the  responsi- 


6oo 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


bility  for  the  invasion  of  the  laws  of  nations  on  a Manchu 
clique. 

The  substance  of  a few  sentences  from  an  interview 
with  the  first  named,  as  published  in  the  October  (1900) 
number  of  “ Crampton’s  Magazine”  (English),  clearly 
illustrates  this  point.  “ The  enlightened  part  of  the  popu- 
lation,” he  says,  “ including  all  the  Chinese  Viceroys  and 
Governors,  condemn  the  Boxer  movement,  and  have  no 
sympathy  with  it.  But  with  the  Manchu  Governors  and 
Viceroys  the  case  is  different.  They  get  their  posts  with- 
out rigorous  examination  tests,  and  are  on  this  account  less 
educated.  No  educated  Chinese  would  believe,  for  in- 
stance, that  foreign  rifles  would  prove  harmless  in  battle. 
I should  never  have  supposed  that  a Manchu  mandarin 
could  believe  such  a statement.  It  has  been  a revelation 
to  me,  I confess.  If  there  is  to  be  a free  competition  of 
talents,  there  can  no  longer  be  a class  monopoly  of  the 
high  offices  of  the  Empire.  The  Manchus  are  all  con- 
servative, while  the  Chinese  are  more  liberal.” 

After  explaining  how  Confucius  can  be  interpreted 
as  in  favour  of  some  check  upon  unlimited  authority,  he 
expresses  the  opinion  that  there  would  be  no  justice  in 
the  demand  for  implicit  obedience  if  the  man  at  the 
helm  of  State  would  go  madly  in  support  of  a Boxer 
movement  so  as  to  endanger  the  destiny  of  four  hundred 
millions  of  people  who  are  quite  innocent.  He  closes 
with  these  significant  words : “ I hope  that  financial,  edu- 
cational, and  judicial  reforms  will  be  introduced  after  this 
crisis  is  over,  and  I would  even  say — as  a representative 
of  my  country  as  well  as  of  my  Government — that  I hope 
the  Powers  will  insist  upon  reforms.” 

The  Chinese  Ship-of-State  under  its  Manchu  Pilots 
was  thus  launched  upon  its  dangerous  course  down  un- 
known rapids,  and  the  shock  was  distinctly  felt  in  every 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  601 


part  of  the  huge  craft,  from  the  southern  top  of  the 
province  of  Kuangtung  to  the  banks  of  the  Amur  River 
in  the  distant  north,  and  from  the  sea-board  to  the  con- 
fines of  Turkestan.  No  such  evidence  of  the  unity  of 
the  Chinese  Empire  has  ever  been  witnessed. 

It  was  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  Government 
that  there  should  be  practical  unanimity  of  action  through- 
out the  Empire,  as  well  as  in  the  Peking  Grand  Council, 
and  to  make  sure  of  it  a Decree  was  issued  on  the  26th 
of  June,  addressed  to  twenty-four  Governors  General, 
Governors,  Military  and  Naval  officials,  in  the  following 
terms : 

“ We  yesterday  announced  to  Li  Hung  Chang,  Li  Ping 
Heng,  Liu  K’un  Yi,  and  Chang  Chih  Tung,  the  facts 
that  it  is  equally  difficult  to  repress  or  to  soothe  the 
feud  of  the  society  men  against  the  converts,  and  that  hos- 
tilities were  first  resorted  to  by  the  Powers. 

“ The  reluctance  of  you  Viceroys  and  Governors,  after 
considering  the  position  and  estimating  your  strength,  to 
provoke  foreign  enmity  lightly,  may  well  be  the  policy 
of  tried  Ministers  consulting  the  interests  of  their  State. 
But  unfortunately,  in  the  present  case,  the  Boxer  bands 
have  spread  over  the  whole  capital,  and  their  numbers 
are  not  less  than  several  hundred  thousand.  From  soldiers 
and  people  up  to  princely  and  ducal  palaces,  alike  comes 
one  cry  of  hatred  of  the  foreign  religion : the  two  can  not 
exist  together.  Repression  meant  intestine  trouble  and 
the  utter  ruin  of  the  people.  The  only  course,  therefore, 
was  to  turn  the  movement  to  account,  while  slowly  de- 
vising reformation.  The  warning  in  your  memorial  not 
to  endanger  the  State  by  believing  their  heretical  talk, 
leaves  out  of  account  the  helpless  position  in  which  the 
Court  is  placed. 

“ Did  you  Viceroys  and  Governors  realize  how  great  is 


602 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


the  crisis  in  the  capital  you  would  surely  be  unable  to 
eat  and  sleep  in  peace,  and  would  be  so  anxious  to  do 
your  duty  that  you  could  never  think  of  making  one-sided 
representations.  The  present  state  of  things  is  one  in 
which  the  incitement  and  pressure  of  providential  op- 
portunity and  human  affairs  have  combined  to  make  war 
inevitable.  Do  not  any  of  you  longer  hesitate  and  look 
on,  but  with  all  speed  provide  troops  and  supplies,  and 
vigourously  protect  the  territories ; for  any  remissness 
you  shall  be  called  to  account.” 

That  any  Chinese  officials,  after  a warning  such  as 
this,  should  have  hesitated  to  obey  the  express  and  re- 
peated commands  of  the  Court,  would  seem  to  have  been 
in  itself  virtual  rebellion,  especially  as  it  was  not  the  cue 
of  those  in  authority  to  claim  or  to  admit  that  the  Em- 
press Dowager  was  in  any  sense  a “ usurper.” 

The  outcome  of  this  unexampled  situation  was  that 
Chang  Chih  Tung,  Governor  General  of  the  prov- 
inces of  Hupei  and  Hunan,  Liu  K’un  Yi,  Governor  Gen- 
eral of  the  “ River  Provinces,”  and  Yuan  Shih  K’ai,  Gov- 
ernor of  Shantung,  entered  into  an  agreement  with  one 
another  and  with  the  representatives  of  foreign  Powers 
that  order  should  be  maintained  within  their  territories 
upon  certain  specified  conditions,  of  which  the  absence 
as  far  as  possible  of  foreign  gun-boats  formed  a part. 
While  refusing  to  relinquish  her  treaty  rights,  Great 
Britain  was  anxious  to  do  everything  in  her  power  to 
strengthen  the  hands  of  these  Chinese  officials  who  were 
“ loyal,”  if  not  to  the  reckless  Manchu  rulers,  at  least 
to  the  best  interests  of  China  itself. 

It  was  most  fortunate  that  the  welfare  of  Great  Britain 
was  represented  at  Shanghai  by  Mr.  Pelham  L.  Warren, 
as  Acting  Consul  General,  and  later  as  Acting  British 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  603 


Minister,  and  at  Hankow  by  Mr.  E.  H.  Frazer,  whose 
activity  and  energy  were  constantly  exercised  for  the 
general  behoof.  At  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Warren,  an 
arrangement  was  made  by  which  the  British  Government 
took  the  unusual  step  of  loaning  Chang  Chih  Tung  the 
sum  of  £75,000  for  ten  years  at  4^2  per  cent,  on  the 
security  of  the  unpledged  likin  revenue  of  his  provinces. 
Mr.  Warren  pointed  out  (Aug.  9th)  to  Lord  Salisbury 
that  it  was  “ most  important  to  strengthen  the  Viceroys 
in  their  present  position,  for  if  they  were  overthrown  the 
result  would  be  a rising,  the  suppression  of  which  would 
involve  the  expenditure  of  much  time  and  the  employ- 
ment of  large  forces,  and  this  would  inevitably  be 
followed  by  the  partition  of  China.  The  firm  position  of 
the  Viceroys,”  he  adds,  “ has  for  the  time  checked  the 
plans  of  the  Peking  Government  for  a general  uprising 
against  foreigners,  which  but  for  this  would  certainly 
have  been  carried  out.” 

The  policy  of  Yuan  Shill  K’ai  in  Shantung,  where  the 
Boxer  movement  had  its  origin,  was  very  unpopular,  and 
it  is  said  that  his  own  life  was  in  constant  danger,  a 
special  guard  of  a thousand  of  his  men — the  best  drilled 
soldiers  in  China — being  stationed  at  his  yamen  gates 
with  machine-guns  to  prevent  any  demonstrations.  Many 
months  later,  when  it  was  perceived  that  it  was  only  the 
foresight  and  firmness  of  Governor  Yuan  which  had  pre- 
vented Shantung  from  being  over-run  by  foreign  troops 
as  the  adjacent  province  of  Chihli  had  been,  the  popular 
feeling  changed  materially;  but  in  the  summer  of  1900 
the  outlook  was  a dark  one. 

Another  official  to  whom  perhaps  the  most  credit  of  all 
is  due — considering  that  he  is  a Manchu — was  Tuan 
Fang,  then  Acting  Governor  of  Shensi.  His  firmness 


604  china  in  convulsion 

prevented  the  development  of  the  Boxer  bacillus  in  the 
province,  and  in  the  face  of  the  decree  of  extermination 
already  quoted  he  used  the  utmost  diligence  in  pro- 
tecting all  foreigners,  not  only  within  his  jurisdiction  but 
also  in  sections  contiguous  to  it,  without  that  punctilious 
reverence  for  boundary  lines  which  generally  characterizes 
Chinese  officials.  He  specially  dispatched  strong  escorts 
for  all  foreigners  leaving  Shensi,  and  gave  express  orders 
that  the  soldiers  should  not  return  until  their  charges 
had  been  actually  turned  over  to  the  troops  of  Chang 
Chih  Tung  sent  to  meet  them,  wherever  that  might 
happen  to  be.  On  the  long  routes  thus  traversed  from 
Hsi  An  Fu  to  the  comparative  quiet  of  Hupei,  there 
were  times  when  but  for  such  protection  the  travellers 
would  have  been  attacked  by  large  armed  bands,  and 
might  easily  have  been  destroyed.  As  it  was,  all  the 
foreigners  both  in  Shensi  and  in  Kansu  escaped  across 
the  mountains  of  Hankow,  with  no  loss  of  life. 

In  the  adjoining  province  of  Honan,  while  there  was 
no  actual  massacre,  there  were  terrible  hardships,  and 
marvellous  escapes.  The  officials  and  the  people  were 
more  hostile  than  in  Shensi,  yet  there  were  some  notable 
exceptions. 

In  Shantung,  thanks  to  the  protection  of  Governor 
Yuan  Shih  K’ai,  there  was  not  only  no  foreigner  killed 
during  the  troubled  season  of  anxiety  and  flight,  but 
comparatively  little  of  the  suffering  elsewhere  so  com- 
mon. The  American  Consul  at  Chefoo,  Mr.  John  Fowler, 
(assisted  by  the  Rev.  George  Cornwell  and  others),  dis- 
played the  greatest  energy  and  resourcefulness  in  this 
time  of  emergency,  at  his  own  risk  chartering,  by  the 
kind  aid  of  the  Japanese  Consul,  a small  Japanese  steamer 
at  several  hundred  dollars  a day.  This  made  repeated 


PEI  TAI  HO  WATERING  PLACE,  FROM  WHICH  FOREIGNERS  WERE  RESCUED  BY  CONSUL  FOWLER 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  605 


trips  to  Yang  Chia  K’ou,  at  the  mouth  of  an  artificial 
canal  terminating  near  Chi  Nan  Fu,  by  which  and  other 
means  more  than  two  hundred  and  sixty  foreigners  were 
brought  safely  out  of  the  province. 

The  firm  stand  taken  by  the  triumvirate  of  high  Chinese 
officials  previously  mentioned,  saved  the  central  and  the 
southern  provinces  from  becoming  inoculated  with  the 
virus  so  fatal  farther  north,  but  it  did  not  and  could  not 
prevent  isolated  manifestations  of  hostile  feeling  in  the 
intensely  anti-foreign  coast  provinces,  as  well  as  in  the 
interior.  Early  in  the  summer  there  was  serious  danger 
in  Yunnan,  where  the  French  had  been  active,  but 
from  whence  they  were  compelled  to  retire.  There  were 
hostile  demonstrations  in  Kuangtung,  resulting  in  much 
loss  of  mission  property,  and  these  continued  at  inter- 
vals for  a year  or  more.  Fukien  was  excited,  though  not 
to  the  danger  point ; and  it  became  necessary  to  remove 
all  foreigners  from  the  isolated  port  of  Wen  Chou  farther 
up  the  coast. 

On  the  22nd  of  July  a ghastly  tragedy  occurred  in 
K’u  Chou  Fu  in  western  Chekiang,  by  which  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Thompson,  and  two  sons,  Miss  Desmond,  Miss 
Sherwood,  and  Miss  Manchester,  of  that  city,  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ward  and  infant,  with  Miss  Thirgood,  sta- 
tioned at  Ch’ang  Shan,  were  all  killed  with  the  utmost 
cruelty,.  The  movement  among  the  people  by  which  these 
missionaries  of  the  China  Inland  Mission  lost  their  lives, 
is  believed  to  have  had  no  direct  connection  with  the 
Boxer  rising,  but  was  a local  rebellion,  in  which  the  Dis- 
trict Magistrate  was  himself  killed  while  endeavouring 
to  quell  it. 

Although  there  was  no  actual  outbreak  in  the  remote 
province  of  Szechuan  in  south-western  China,  it  was  con- 


6o6 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


sidered  advisable  to  remove  all  the  foreign  residents  from 
that  province,  and  from  the  other  interior  stations  of  all 
inland  provinces,  to  the  ports. 

There  is  no  reasonable  doubt  that  the  Boxer  rising  had 
been  planned  to  come  to  a crisis  in  the  eighth  moon,  for 
occult  reasons  connected  with  the  intercalary  eighth  month 
of  that  year,  already  mentioned  in  a previous  chap- 
ter ; but,  like  a time-fuse  which  could  not  be  regulated,  it 
exploded  prematurely  in  the  month  of  May,  at  least 
twelve  weeks  in  advance  of  schedule  time. 

Some  of  the  phenomena  connected  with  this  sudden 
development  were  entirely  new  in  the  long  experience  of 
foreigners  in  China.  In  Mukden,  the  capital  of  Man- 
churia, for  example,  the  relations  between  the  Protestant 
missionaries  and  the  officials  had  been  of  the  most 
friendly  character.  The  Military  Governor  had  assured 
the  Presbyterian  missionaries,  who  were  holding  their 
annual  sessions  during  the  early  part  of  June,  that  no 
safer  place  could  be  found  than  where  they  were.  Yet 
within  the  space  of  less  than  a week  the  whole  atmos- 
phere had  changed,  and  the  extreme  of  friendliness  on 
the  part  of  officials  and  people  was  replaced  by  suspi- 
cion and  hostility.  The  Governor  would  return  no  answer 
to  communications  of  urgent  importance,  and  it  was  evi- 
dent that  the  temperature  had  been  artificially  altered 
from  Peking.  The  Protestants  escaped  just  in  time  to 
Newchwang,  their  property  being  destroyed  by  a mob  on 
the  30th  of  June,  and  the  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral  being 
burned  and  sacked  (July  2nd)  and  all  its  inmates  roasted 
or  butchered. 

Places  in  which  heretofore  there  had  never  been  any 
open  hostility  to  Occidentals  were  suddenly  turned  into 
hot-beds  of  fanatical  fury  against  everything  foreign,  the 
people  stopping  at  no  atrocities  until  their  purposes  were 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  607 


accomplished.  The  passions  of  the  Chinese  appeared 
to  be  kindled,  as  fires  are  lighted  by  stray  sparks  falling 
in  dry  prairie  grass,  automatically  and  with  no  previous 
preparation  of  any  sort.  This  occurred  not  in  cities 
only,  but  in  the  most  remote  and  inaccessible  mountain 
hamlets,  as  well  as  on  the  crowded  plains  and  on  the 
Mongolian  steppes.  After  all  reasonable  explanations  of 
this  fact  have  been  offered,  it  must  be  admitted  that 
there  is  a residuum  of  mystery  in  these  terrible  explosions, 
resembling  those  of  contact  mines,  without  perceptible 
antecedent  causes. 

The  foreigners  north  of  Mukden  scattered  through 
Manchuria  were  able  to  escape  by  the  friendly  help  of 
the  Russians  to  Harpin,  or  other  places  of  relative  se- 
curity. 

There  had  long  been  serious  friction  between  the 
Chinese  and  Manchu  population  of  Manchuria  and  the 
numerous  Russian  troops  sent  to  guard  the  new  railways. 
To  what  extent  this  had  gone  it  was  difficult  to  judge, 
owing  to  the  constitutional  reticence  of  the  Russian  press. 
The  Russian  Empire  was  suddenly  electrified  by  the  an- 
nouncement that,  on  the  14th  of  July,  the  steamers  on 
the  Amur  River  had  been  fired  upon  at  the  Chinese  town 
of  Aigun  by  Chinese  officers  who  affirmed  that  they  were 
acting  under  orders,  one  Russian  officer  being  killed  and 
six  men  wounded.  The  next  day  unexpectedly  and  with 
no  warning  the  Russian  town  of  Blagovestchensk  across 
the  river  was  bombarded  by  a Chinese  battery,  three 
Russians  being  killed  and  six  wounded. 

The  reprisals  on  the  part  of  the  Russians  for  this 
breach  of  faith,  under  the  misconstrued  orders  from  St. 
Petersburg,  were  of  a terrible  nature,  involving  the 
massacre  of  many  thousand  Chinese,  men,  women  and 
children,  whose  bodies  filled  the  Amur,  as  certified  by 


6o8 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


the  testimony  of  several  independent  and  unprejudiced 
travellers,  themselves  eye-witnesses  of  the  devastation.  In 
the  following  September  the  British  Legation  in  St. 
Petersburg  called  the  attention  of  Lord  Salisbury  to  the 
report  in  a Russian  paper  of  a formal  thanksgiving  serv- 
ice held  on  the  ashes  of  the  Chinese  town  of  Sakalin, 
now  renamed  Ilinsky,  in  the  presence  of  the  authorities, 
the  army,  an  English  officer,  and  a large  crowd  of 
people.  The  priest  said : “ Now  is  the  cross  raised  on 
the  bank  of  the  Amur  which  yesterday  was  Chinese. 
Mouravieff  foretold  that  sooner  or  later  this  bank  would 
be  ours.”  It  was  added  that  “ in  a beautiful  speech  Gen. 
Grisbsky  congratulated  the  victorious  troops ! ” In  reply 
to  the  remonstrance  of  the  British  Minister  to  Russia, 
Sir  Charles  Scott,  Count  Lamsdorf  explained  that  the 
Government  had  only  just  heard  of  this  incident,  and 
that  it  was  an  unauthorized  act  of  the  military  at  too 
great  a distance  from  the  central  Government  to  be  in 
touch  with  its  views. 

Meantime  Russian  troops  were  pouring  into  Manchuria 
in  immense  numbers,  and  the  Russian  Government  was 
able  to  give  the  most  satisfactory  assurances  to  all  the 
Powers  in  regard  to  her  intentions  to  turn  over  Man- 
churia to  the  Chinese,  as  Sancho  Panza  definitely  prom- 
ised Don  Quixote  that  he  would  perform  the  necessary 
self-flagellations  on  behalf  of  the  Lady  Dulcinea  del  To- 
boso  “ just  as  soon  as  ever  I have  a mind  to  do  so.” 

Next  to  ordering  the  attack  by  the  regular  Chinese 
armies  on  the  Legations,  the  most  fatuous  act  of  the 
Chinese  Government  in  the  summer  of  1900  was  its 
assault  upon  Russia,  to  the  threatened  dismemberment  of 
the  Chinese  Empire,  and  the  exposure  of  “ the  open 
door  ” to  unknown  perils  in  the  future. 

In  the  province  of  Chihli  there  were  many  Protestant 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  609 


and  far  more  numerous  Roman  Catholic  stations,  from 
which  if  the  foreigners  escaped  at  all,  it  was  with  diffi- 
culty. The  sea-side  resort  of  Pei  Tai  Ho,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  from  Tientsin,  near  the  Shan  Hai  Kuan 
railway,  was  soon  isolated,  and  its  residents  were  re- 
moved to  a British  vessel,  the  various  establishments  being 
promptly  looted  by  the  local  villagers  without  the  aid  of 
Boxers  or  soldiers. 

From  T’ang  Shan  to  Shan  Hai  Kuan  the  railway  was 
defended  by  the  Cantonese  and  others  employed  in  the 
mines,  and  there  might  be  seen  the  singular  spectacle  of 
an  Imperial  railway  operated  by  the  workmen  for  their 
own  convenience  and  safety,  the  coal  mines  being  like- 
wise kept  from  injury,  until  the  advent  of  the  Russians, 
who  impartially  plundered  all  property  public  and  private. 

From  Pao  Ting  Fu  to  Ting  Chou  the  Lu-Han  rail- 
way was  kept  in  operation  for  the  transport  of  Chinese 
troops. 

The  London  Mission  station  of  Ts’ang  Chou  on  the 
Grand  Canal  was  destroyed,  but  thanks  to  a friendly 
official  its  occupants  escaped  overland  to  a small  sea-port, 
and  thence  to  Taku.  Those  living  at  Hsiao  Chang,  farther 
to  the  southwest,  another  station  of  the  same  mission, 
fled  to  the  village  of  P’ang  Chuang  in  Shantung 
and  thence  to  the  coast. 

It  was  the  strange  fortune  of  the  last  named  mission 
station,  after  having  been  threatened  for  more  than  a 
year,  to  escape  at  last  absolutely  untouched  and  even  un- 
entered, being,  with  the  exception  of  defended  treaty- 
ports  and  one  or  two  minor  instances,  perhaps  the  only 
case  of  this  sort  in  all  the  vast  stretch  from  the  Yellow 
River  to  the  Amur.  The  temper  of  most  of  the  people 
was  friendly,  the  reputation  and  influence  of  the  hospital 
and  dispensary  wide-spread,  but  the  rancourous  fury  of 


6io 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


the  Boxers  thirsting  for  loot  was  held  in  check  only  by 
a timely  agreement  between  one  of  the  native  pastors 
and  a Boxer  leader,  by  which,  in  consideration  of  a 
“ feast  ” and  a horse  to  boot,  the  place  was  not  to  be 
attacked. 

The  residents  of  Kalgan,  American  and  Russian, 
escaped  across  the  interminable  deserts  of  Urga  and 
Kiakhta,  with  great  hardships  and  many  wonderful  de- 
liverances from  seemingly  insurmountable  perils. 

The  China  Inland  missionaries  in  Shun  Te  Fu  were 
for  a time  in  great  danger.  They  were  driven  out  of 
their  city,  but  after  wandering  in  the  mountains  were 
escorted  a part  of  the  way  to  Shansi,  whence  they  were 
turned  back  by  an  official  just  in  time  to  save  their  lives, 
and  at  last  found  refuge  in  the  great  Cathedral  at  Cheng 
Ting  Fu.  Owing  to  the  prudent  and  inflexible  determin- 
ation of  the  civil  and  military  authorities  not  to  open  the 
city  gates,  this  was  not  attacked  at  all.  Here  the  Roman 
Catholic  Bishop,  three  priests,  five  nuns,  and  a party  of 
refugee  Belgian  railway  engineers  were  protected  until 
rescued  by  Chinese  and  later  by  the  French  troops  about 
the  middle  of  October. 

The  adventures  of  the  Greens  and  Miss  Gregg,  who 
were  at  Huai  Lu  Hsien  at  the  entrance  to  the  Ku  Kuan 
pass,  were  of  the  most  terribly  dramatic  character,  and 
furnish  material  for  a small  volume.  They  endured 
everything,  hunger,  nakedness,  peril  and  sword,  and  their 
escape  at  all  is  a standing  miracle.  The  fate  of  Dr.  Tay- 
lor, Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hodge,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simcox,  and 
three  children,  of  the  American  Presbyterian  Mission ; 
of  Mr.  Pitkin,  Miss  Morrill  and  Miss  Gould,  of  the  Amer- 
ican Board,  and  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bagnall  and  daughter, 
and  Mr.  William  Cooper,  of  the  China  Inland  Mission, 
at  Pao  Ting  Fu  was  still  more  tragic. 


CORNER  OF  CITY  WALL,  PAO  TING  FU,  DESTROYED  BY  ALLIED  TROOPS  IN  PUNISHMENT  FOR  MASSACRE 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  6n 


By  the  connivance  of  the  officials,  civil  and  military, 
they  were  all  killed.  The  former  party  were  burned  alive 
in  their  dwelling  by  a mob  on  the  last  day  of  June,  and 
the  two  latter  parties  were  shot,  stabbed,  or  beheaded,  on 
the  first  day  of  July. 

In  penalty  for  this  great  crime  a mixed  Military  Com- 
mission sitting  in  that  city  in  the  following  October,  after 
full  investigation  recommended  that  the  Provincial 
Treasurer  Ting  Yuan  be  beheaded,  together  with  Kuei 
Heng,  the  Tartar  official  of  the  city,  and  Lieut.  Colonel 
of  the  cavalry  camp,  near  the  China  Inland  Mission,  to 
which  Mr.  Bagnall  and  his  family  with  Mr.  Cooper  fled, 
only  to  be  betrayed  to  the  Boxers  and  slain.  This  sen- 
tence was  approved  by  Gen.  Gaselee  and  Count  von  Wal- 
dersee,  and  was  carried  into  execution.  Several  of  the 
temples  principally  used  by  the  Boxers  as  their  head- 
quarters were  also  blown  up,  the  most  important  being 
that  of  the  city-god,  and  the  Ch’i  Sheng  An,  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  the  city,  where  the  prisoners  had  been 
examined  at  the  Boxer  altar.  All  the  towers  of  the  city 
gates  were  destroyed,  and  the  corner  of  the  city  wall  was 
also  blown  away  for  a distance  of  several  yards,  to  leave 
a brand  upon  the  provincial  capital  which  had  witnessed 
such  official  crimes. 

But  it  was  in  the  province  of  Shansi  and  the  adjacent 
regions  of  Mongolia  that  the  most  terrible  fruits  of  the 
Boxer  rising  against  foreigners  were  produced.  This  was 
mainly  due  to  the  presence  there  of  the  founder  and 
patron  of  the  Great  Sword  Society,  Yii  Hsien,  so  often 
previously  referred  to,  who  had  taken  his  seat  as  Gov- 
ernor when  the  nets  for  extermination  began  to  be  spread. 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  so  rapid  was  the 
spread  of  the  anti-foreign  rising  that,  by  the  time  danger 
had  become  certain,  it  was  sometimes  too  late  to  escape. 


6l2 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Many  of  the  missionaries,  especially  in  the  northern  part 
of  Shansi,  were  Swedes,  with  but  an  imperfect  acquaint- 
ance with  China,  and  with  only  infrequent  communica- 
tion with  the- coast.  Others,  both  British  and  Americans, 
who  had  been  long  in  the  country,  had  become  accustomed 
to  being  rioted,  and  regarded  this  as  but  one  of  the  ex- 
tended series  of  outbreaks  of  which  they  had  had  abun- 
dant experience  in  the  past.  Many  of  them  could  not 
make  up  their  minds  to  desert  their  native  Christians, 
and  nobly  preferred  to  die  with  them,  rather  than  to  con- 
sult their  own  safety  only. 

Friends  at  the  ports  exhausted  every  effort  to  convey 
information  of  the  apparent  conditions  to  those  known 
to  be  in  danger,  but  events  moved  so  rapidly  that  it  was 
impossible  alike  for  those  at  a distance  and  those  nearest 
the  storm-centre  to  determine  with  certainty  what  it  was 
best  to  do. 

The  danger  of  the  missionaries,  great  as  it  was,  was  less 
than  that  of  other  foreigners  unable  to  speak  the  lan- 
guage, and  in  regard  to  whom  nothing  was  known  by  the 
Chinese  who  saw  them  pass.  Capt.  Watts  Jones,  a brave 
officer  of  the  British  Royal  Engineers,  was  barbarously 
murdered  west  of  Kalgan.  Mr.  Saunders,  one  of  the 
members  of  the  China  Inland  Mission  whose  party  en- 
dured the  most  terrible  sufferings  before  they  escaped 
from  Shansi  through  hostile  Honan  to  Hankow,  at  one 
place  saved  his  life  only  by  proving  that  he  was  not  the 
railway  prospector  who  had  been  through  the  country 
some  time  previously,  disturbing  the  repose  of  the  Earth 
Dragon,  spoiling  the  feng-shui,  and  preventing  rain,  thus 
bringing  on  the  terrible  drought  which  was  destroying 
the  whole  land. 

It  will  be  seen  from  an  appended  table  that  the  total 
number  of  Protestant  workers  murdered  during  the  whole 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  613 


Boxer  disturbances  was  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  adults, 
and  fifty-three  children,  of  whom  more  than  eighty-four 
per  cent  were  killed  either  in  Shansi  or  the  adjacent  re- 
gions of  Mongolia.  The  story  of  a few  of  these  terrible 
experiences  can  be  recapitulated  only  in  the  merest  out- 
line.* 

On  the  29th  of  June,  the  Swedish  Union  in  association 
with  the  Christian  Missionary  Alliance,  experienced  a 
fearful  tragedy  at  So  P’ing  Fu,  in  northern  Shansi,  when 
ten  of  its  members  were  killed  at  one  time.  Six  members 
of  the  China  Inland  Mission  were  slain  at  Ta  T’ung  Fu 
at  about  the  same  date.  At  T’ai  Ku  Hsien,  on  the  31st 
of  July,  Rev.  D.  H.  Clapp  and  wife,  Rev.  Geo.  L.  Wil- 
liams, Rev.  F.  W.  Davis,  Miss  Rowena  Bird,  and  Miss 
Mary  Partridge,  all  of  the  American  Board  Mission,  were 
killed,  and  their  heads  are  supposed  to  have  been  sent 
to  T’ai  Yuan  Fu. 

There  were  numerous  other  atrocities  in  other  cities, 
but  nowhere  anything  equal  to  the  terrible  spectacle  at 
T’ai  Yuan  Fu  on  the  9th  of  July,  the  account  of  which  we 
have  from  an  unwilling  witness, — a Baptist  convert  whose 
story  has  been  confirmed  from  other  sources.  He  saw 
the  foreign  pastors  and  their  wives  and  children,  the 
Roman  Catholic  priests  and  nuns,  and  several  Chinese 
Christians,  taken  to  the  Governor’s  yamen.  Hearing  that 
they  were  to  be  killed,  he  vainly  endeavoured  to  get  out 
of  the  crowd,  but  was  borne  along  by  it,  and  witnessed 
the  massacre. 

* Partial  accounts  of  some  of  the  experiences  of  the  members  of 
the  largest  of  the  Protestant  Missions  in  China,  may  be  found  in 
“Martyred  Missionaries  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  With  a 
Record  of  the  Perils  and  Sufferings  of  Some  who  Escaped.” 
It  is  a volume  of  more  than  three  hundred  pages,  filled  with  tales 
of  touching  pathos,  a story  of  which  any  branch  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  any  country  and  in  any  age  might  well  be  proud. 


6i4  CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 

“ The  first  to  be  led  forth  was  Mr.  Farthing  (English 
Baptist).  His  wife  clung  to  him,  but  he  gently  put  her 
aside,  and  going  in  front  of  the  soldiers  knelt  down 
without  saying  a word,  and  his  head  was  struck  off 
by  one  blow  of  the  executioner’s  knife.  He  was  quickly 
followed  by  Mr.  Hoddle,  and  Mr.  Beynon,  Drs.  Lovitt 
and  Wilson,  each  of  whom  was  beheaded  by  one  blow  of 
the  executioner.  Then  the  Governor,  Yii  Hsien,  grew  im- 
patient and  told  his  body-guard,  all  of  whom  carried 
heavy  swords  with  long  handles,  to  help  kill  the  others. 
Mr.  Stokes,  Mr.  Simpson,  and  Mr.  Whitehouse  were  next 
killed,  the  last  by  one  blow  only,  the  other  two  by  several. 

“ When  the  men  were  finished  the  ladies  were  taken. 
Mrs.  Farthing  had  hold  of  the  hands  of  her  children 
who  clung  to  her,  but  the  soldiers  parted  them,  and  with 
one  blow  beheaded  their  mother.  The  executioner  be- 
headed all  the  children  and  did  it  skillfully,  needing  only 
one  blow,  but  the  soldiers  were  clumsy,  and  some  of  the 
ladies  suffered  several  cuts  before  death.  Mrs.  Lovitt 
was  wearing  her  spectacles  and  held  the  hand  of  her 
little  boy,  even  when  she  was  killed.  She  spoke  to  the 
people,  saying  ‘ We  all  came  to  China  to  bring  you  the 
good  news  of  the  salvation  by  Jesus  Christ ; we  have  done 
you  no  harm,  only  good,  why  do  you  treat  us  so?’  A 
soldier  took  off  her  spectacles  before  beheading  her,  which 
needed  two  blows. 

“ When  the  Protestants  had  been  killed,  the  Roman 
Catholics  were  led  forward.  The  Bishop,  an  old  man 
with  a long  white  beard,  asked  the  Governor  why  he  was 
doing  this  wicked  deed.  I did  not  hear  the  Governor  give 
him  any  answer,  but  he  drew  his  sword  and  cut  the 
Bishop  across  the  face  one  heavy  stroke;  blood  poured 
down  his  white  beard,  and  he  wTas  beheaded. 

“ The  priests  and  nuns  quickly  followed  him  in  death. 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  6x5 


Then  Mr.  Pigott  and  his  party  were  led  from  the  dis- 
trict jail  which  is  close  by.  He  was  still  hand-cuffed,  and 
so  was  Mr.  Robinson.  He  preached  to  the  people  till 
the  very  last,  when  he  was  beheaded  with  one  blow.  Mr. 
Robinson  suffered  death  very  calmly.  Mrs.  Pigott  held 
the  hand  of  her  son,  even  when  she  was  beheaded,  and 
he  was  killed  immediately  after  her.  The  ladies  and  two 
girls  were  also  quickly  killed. 

“ On  that  day  forty-five  foreigners  were  beheaded  in  all, 
thirty-three  Protestants  and  twelve  Roman  Catholics.  A 
number  of  native  Christians  were  killed  also.  The  bodies 
of  all  were  left  where  they  fell  till  the  next  morning,  as 
it  was  evening  before  the  work  was  finished.  During 
the  night  they  had  been  stripped  of  their  clothing,  rings, 
and  watches.  The  next  day  they  were  removed  to  a place 
inside  the  great  south  gate,  except  some  of  the  heads, 
which  were  placed  in  cages  on  the  gates  of  the  city  wall. 
All  were  surprised  at  the  firmness  and  quietness  of  the 
foreigners,  none  of  whom  except  two  or  three  of  the  chil- 
dren cried,  or  made  any  noise.” 

Yu  Hsien  was  Governor  of  Shansi  for  but  a few 
months,  yet  such  was  the  fatal  spell  thrown  over  the  peo- 
ple of  that  hitherto  friendly  province  by  the  known  ap- 
probation of  the  Imperial  Court,  that  when  he  left  the 
city  he  was  escorted  by  thousands  of  the  people,  who  had 
prepared  wine  and  refreshments  along  the  road-side  for 
miles,  his  “ boots  of  honour  ” were  taken  off  and  hung  in 
the  city  gate  to  commemorate  his  virtues,  and  as  if  this 
were  insufficient,  a stone  tablet  was  erected  in  the  south 
suburb  to  glorify  his  achievements  in  clearing  the  province 
of  the  hated  foreigners. 

It  was  almost  universally  recognized  at  the  entry  of 
the  foreign  forces  into  northern  China  that  the  honour 
of  the  five  countries  represented  among  those  officially 


6 1 6 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


butchered  at  this  time  (Great  Britain,  the  United  States, 
France,  Italy,  and  Holland)  as  well  as  the  safety  of  all 
future  residents  of  Shansi,  required  that  an  indelible 
brand  should  be  affixed  to  T’ai  Yuan  Fu,  as  was  done  at 
Pao  Ting  Fu,  and  that  the  yamen  of  the  Governor  ought 
to  be  destroyed.  But  in  the  pressure  of  other  military 
expeditions  all  over  northern  Chihli,  this  one  was  omitted, 
to  the  extreme  surprise  of  the  Chinese,  and  later  to  the 
unalterable  conviction  on  the  part  of  the  population  of 
Shansi  that  their  province  was  totally  inaccessible  to  for- 
eign troops. 

Four  different  parties  from  the  southern  portion  of 
Shansi  succeeded  after  terrible  sufferings  in  making 
their  way  to  Hankow,  but  some  of  them  died  of  ill  treat- 
ment or  exhaustion.  So  far  as  known  it  appears  that  in 
this  part  of  the  province,  while  nineteen  escaped,  thirty- 
five  adults  and  ten  children  were  killed,  or  died. 

One  of  the  most  pathetic  instances  of  all  was  that  of 
a company  of  ten,  composed  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atwater  and 
two  children,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  W.  Price,  and  daughter, 
of  the  American  Board  Mission,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lund- 
gren  and  Miss  Eldred  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  who 
were  betrayed  by  the  officials  of  Fen  Chou  Fu,  taken  on 
a pretended  journey  to  the  coast,  and  then  killed  at  the 
junction  of  two  counties,  their  bodies  being  tumbled  into 
a pit  near  by  at  the  request  of  the  villagers. 

While  this  tragedy  was  being  enacted  in  this  distant 
province,  American  cannon  were  already  shelling  the  For- 
bidden City  in  Peking,  but  it  was  too  late  to  save  the 
lives  of  this  and  other  beleaguered  bands,  some  of  the 
members  of  which  were  killed  more  than  a month  after 
that  event. 

The  stories  of  the  tragedies  connected  with  those  who 
at  last  escaped  from  their  tormentors,  yet  so  as  by  fire,  are 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  617 


among  the  most  touching  memorials  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  any  age.  Men,  women  and  children  were  be- 
sieged in  their  own  dwellings,  and  when  these  had  been 
fired,  were  speared  or  stabbed  as  they  endeavoured  to  es- 
cape, or  were  thrust  back  into  the  flames.  They  were 
driven  forth  from  their  homes  as  outcasts  unfit  to  live, 
robbed  of  their  scanty  possessions  at  every  turn,  until  in 
the  blistering  heats  of  June,  July  and  August,  they  were 
bareheaded,  bare-footed,  and  in  many  cases  possessed  of 
only  the  clothing  upon  their  bodies.  In  repeated  in- 
stances ladies  were  left  but  a single  garment,  and  on  more 
than  one  occasion  a missionary  was  deprived  of  every 
stitch  of  clothing,  standing  naked  upon  the  streets 
of  the  inhospitable  villages  of  Shansi.  One  Catholic  priest 
escaped  only  by  being  carried  a long  distance  in  a coffin. 

They  were  continually  not  only  under  that  observation 
without  sympathy  which  Mrs.  Browning  called  torture, 
but  were  everywhere,  for  days  and  weeks  in  succession, 
confronted  by  mobs,  chased  from  village  to  village,  into 
mountains,  and  swamps,  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  aban- 
doned huts,  in  grave-yards,  and  often  in  caves  of  the 
earth.  They  were  hunted  by  armed  bands  like  wild 
beasts,  and  when  caught  were  beaten,  dragged  on  the 
ground, — one  of  the  ladies  being  purposely  run  over  by  a 
cart  to  kill  her — were  tied  hand  and  foot,  and  carried  to 
Boxer  altars  that  it  might  be  decided  by  the  spirits  when, 
where,  and  how  they  should  be  murdered.  Sometimes 
they  were  saved  because  the  villagers  were  afraid  to  have 
them  killed  in  their  village,  sometimes  by  a timely  fall  of 
rain,  and  again  by  the  instinctive  pity  of  Chinese  for  the 
poor  suffering  children  and  the  agony  of  their  mothers. 

Repeated  efforts  were  made  to  poison  them,  they  were 
often  almost  starved,  and  compelled  to  subsist  on  roots 
and  leaves.  Some  of  them  were  delirious  from  uncared 


6 1 8 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


for  wounds,  and  all  were  subjected  to  the  continued  nerv- 
ous strain  of  incessant  alarms  by  day  and  by  night.  They 
were  the  victims  of  repeated  and  deliberate  treachery  on 
the  part  of  officials,  soldiers,  and  professed  guides.  Yet 
amid  the  almost  all  pervading  gloom  some  act  of  human 
kindness  would  lighten  their  sky.  Some  officials  were 
most  friendly,  and  would  have  been  still  more  so  had  they 
dared.  One  such  was  degraded  by  the  Empress  Dowager 
when  she  traversed  Shansi,  for  no  other  reason  than  his 
kindness  to  the  destitute  foreigners  passing  through  his 
jurisdiction.  In  some  cases  members  of  the  same  family 
were  not  allowed  to  see  or  to  care  for  each  other,  although 
almost  at  the  point  of  death.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  one 
who  escaped  remarked  that  the  text  most  frequently  re- 
curring was  that  which  declared  that  “ the  tender  mercies 
of  the  wicked  are  cruel  ? ” 

Who  were  these  that  were  thus  entreated?  They  were 
earnest  God-fearing  men  and  women  who  had  left  all  to 
obey  the  command  of  their  Master  to  make  known  the 
glad  tidings  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven ; men  and  women 
of  irreproachable  character  and  blameless  lives ; some  of 
them  graduates  of  the  best  colleges  and  universities,  to 
whom  attractive  careers  had  been  opened  in  the  home 
lands,  but  upon  which  they  had  turned  their  backs.  Many 
of  them  had  given  long  years  of  toil  to  the  relieving  of 
Chinese  suffering  in  dispensary  and  hospital  work. 

Many  months  later  the  last  letters  of  some  who  were 
killed  were  brought  out  of  their  concealment  by  faithful 
Christian  friends.  There  is  in  these  missives  no  note 
of  despair,  only  the  solemnity  of  those  face  to  face  with 
a terrible  death.  One  father  leaves  as  a legacy  to  his 
son  the  hope  that  when  he  shall  be  twenty-five  years  of 
age  be  may  return  to  China  and  take  up  the  work  which 
the  father  could  not  do. 


FOREIGNERS  IN  THE  INTERIOR  619 


As  long  as  the  Church  of  God  survives  upon  the  earth, 
the  record  of  the  lives  and  of  the  deaths  of  these  mar- 
tyrs will  be  a precious  heritage. 

That  so  many  parties,  travelling  under  the  conditions 
which  have  been  imperfectly  hinted  at,  should  have  passed 
through  hundreds  of  miles  of  hostile  territory,  been  seen  by 
hundreds  of  thousands,  and  in  the  aggregate  by  millions 
of  enemies,  many  of  whom  were  eager  for  their  death, 
and  yet  have  escaped  to  tell  their  story,  is  a moral  miracle 
to  be  accounted  for  only  by  the  recognition  of  the  re- 
straining hand  of  God. 

The  great  disproportion  between  the  number  of  the 
Roman  Catholics  killed  and  that  of  the  Protestants,  ap- 
pears to  be  due  to  the  greater  size  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
flocks,  and  to  the  circumstances  that  in  numberless  cases 
they  had  extensive  establishments  which  they  defended 
vbth  earth  ramparts,  deep  ditches,  and  rifles  or  even  for- 
eign machine  guns.  The  number  of  such  places  success- 
fully defended  is  at  present  unknown,  but  is  certainly  not 
a small  one,  and  thus  far  we  happen  to  have  heard  of 
but  two  instances  where  these  defences  failed. 

No  more  illustrious  examples  of  martyrdom  can  be 
found  than  some  of  those  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith. 
Bishop  Hamer  of  the  West  Mongolian  Mission,  nearlv 
thirty-five  years  in  China,  was  seized  while  celebrating 
mass,  bound,  and  marched  through  the  city  to  be  mocked 
by  all  that  saw  him.  His  hands  were  cut  off  while  he 
was  counting  his  beads,  and  three  days  later  his  garments 
were  torn  off,  he  was  wrapped  in  cotton  upon  which 
petroleum  was  poured,  and  was  burned  alive.  Five  thou- 
sand Christians  were  killed,  and  every  church  and  build- 
ing in  his  diocese  was  destroyed. 

In  the  Jeho  district,  Father  Segers  was  tied  by  his 
hands  and  feet  and  carried  by  a pole,  not  allowed  to  speak 


620 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


to  his  converts,  but  thrown  into  a ditch,  where  he  was 
buried  alive.  Once  he  contrived  to  stand  up  and  his 
head  became  visible,  when  he  was  struck  on  the  head 
with  a mattock. 

Surely  if  anything  is  to  be  learned  from  the  teachings 
of  history,  if  the  saying  of  Tertullian  that  the  blood  of 
the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  Church  is  a law  of  unwast- 
ing and  perennial  energy,  and  if  the  promises  of  God 
are  still  secure,  a religion  which  has  done  so  much  for 
China,  and  the  heralds  of  which  have  suffered  so  much 
from  the  Chinese,  has  a great  work  yet  to  do  in  the 
regeneration  of  that  Empire. 


XXXIII 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 

Canadian  Presbyterian  Mission,  North  Honan.* 

The  trouble  which  began  in  Honan  during  the  spring 
seemed  to  be  local  in  character,  originating  in  the  severe 
drought  from  which  we  had  been  suffering.  Three  crops 
in  succession  had  failed.  As  early  as  March  there  were 
riots  in  different  places.  Some  of  these  were  of  a serious 
nature,  in  which  there  were  conflicts  between  the  people 
and  soldiers,  lives  being  lost  on  both  sides.  By  the  month 
of  June  matters  became  very  serious  indeed,  every  day 
bringing  fresh  reports  of  granaries  searched  and  wealthy 
farmers  looted  by  bands  of  starving  men.  The  Magis- 
trates stationed  small  posts  of  militia  at  all  the  market 
towns,  but  were  unable  to  preserve  peace.  They  acknowl- 
edged their  helplessness  by  refusing  to  punish  any  who 
were  accused  of  stealing  grain,  saying  it  was  useless  to 
punish  starving  men,  and  that  those  who  had  lost  grain 
might  look  upon  it  as  having  afforded  help  to  their  dis- 
tressed neighbours. 

On  June  15th  we  were  startled  to  receive  a telegram 
from  Tientsin  saying  “ Escape  south.”  We  also  got  the 
news  of  the  murder  of  two  Belgians  at  Pao  Ting  Fu. 
Not  having  had  any  reliable  news  from  Tientsin  for  sev- 
eral weeks,  we  were  ignorant  of  what  was  happening 
there  and  did  not  feel  like  deserting  our  station  without 

* Prepared  at  the  author’s  request  by  the  Rev.  James  A.  Slim- 
mon,  one  of  the  party. 


621 


622 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


knowing  the  reason  why  we  had  been  advised  to  do  so. 
We  waited  on  anxiously  looking  for  letters  but  none 
came. 

Meanwhile  we  communicated  with  Mr.  Jameson  and 
party  of  the  Peking  Syndicate,  who  had  passed  through 
our  town  on  the  way  to  Huai  Ch’ing  Fu.  In  reply  there 
came  a letter  from  Mr.  C.  D.  Jameson,  saying  that  he  saw 
no  reason  for  escaping,  as  he  had  not  had  any  word  from 
his  agent  at  Tientsin  or  Peking;  and  he  could  rely  on 
their  sending  word  if  matters  were  very  serious.  But 
for  our  comfort  he  added  that  if  we  thought  it  necessary 
to  go  he  would  place  everything  he  had  at  our  disposal, — 
arms,  money,  etc.,  and  the  personal  services  of  himself 
and  Messrs.  Reid  and  Fisher. 

On  June  19th  we  received  word  that  our  friends  at 
Ch’u  Wang  were  besieged  by  a mob  of  over  a thousand 
people.  This  trouble  was  brought  on  by  a woman  who 
declared  she  had  seen  Mrs.  MacKenzie  at  an  upper  win- 
dow performing  mysterious  rites  and  sweeping  the  clouds 
from  the  sky.  Mrs.  MacKenzie  had  been  cleaning  a win- 
dow in  her  new  house,  and  this  seen  from  the  outside 
looked  like  making  passes  and  motions  towards  the 
clouds.  The  mob  gathered  round  for  two  or  three  days, 
but  seemed  to  be  in  need  of  a leader.  The  official  on 
being  appealed  to  for  help  promised  to  send  it,  but  first 
of  all  tried  to  disarm  our  friends  by  asking  for  a loan 
of  any  rifles  or  other  arms  in  their  possession.  This 
ingenuous  request  was  politely  refused  as  was  also  one  for 
a few  thousand  taels  of  silver  “ to  purchase  arms  for 
the  soldiers.” 

From  this  time  on  till  the  24th,  things  began  to  look 
more  and  more  threatening.  Our  bankers  refused  to 
pay  us  any  more  money,  although  they  had  a considera- 
ble balance  in  our  favour.  We  heard  of  Boxer  societies 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 


623 


springing  up  in  different  towns  and  gradually  coming 
nearer  us,  until  on  the  24th  a few  Boxer  teachers  arrived 
and  founded  a Boxer  school.  The  motto  of  this  branch 
was  “ First  kill  the  foreigners,  then  annihilate  the 
Manchus.” 

On  June  25th  we  received  word  that  our  friends  at 
Chang  Te  Fu  and  Ch’u  Wang  had  decided  to  make  their 
escape,  and  that  they  were  arranging  to  travel  together 
to  Chi  Nan  Fu,  which  seemed  the  best  route.  Later  on 
they  had  to  abandon  this  plan,  as  they  found  it  impossible 
to  hire  carts  for  the  trip,  could  get  no  escort  across  the 
strip  of  Chihli  Province  which  lies  between  Ftonan  and 
Shantung,  and  had  no  means  of  speedy  communication 
with  the  Governor  of  Shantung.  Our  friends  had  de- 
cided on  this  step  because  of  another  telegram  which  had 
arrived,  saying  that  the  Taku  Forts  had  been  taken  by  the 
Allied  Forces.  We  knew  then  that  trouble  was  certain. 
We  sent  off  messengers,  one  to  ask  Mr.  Jameson  and  party 
to  meet  us  at  the  Yellow  River,  another  to  the  Prefect  at 
Wei  Hui  Fu,  and  another  to  the  Magistrate  at  Hsii  Hsien. 
We  were  afraid  of  delay  in  being  referred  from  one 
Yamen  to  the  other. 

We  got  no  help  from  the  Prefect.  An  escort  however 
was  promised  by  the  District  Magistrate,  and  friendly 
messages  were  returned.  But  he  refused  to  take  charge 
of  our  house,  saying  that  in  the  present  state  he  could  not 
possibly  guarantee  protection  of  our  property. 

Things  were  at  their  very  darkest  on  the  27th.  We 
had  got  together  the  few  things  that  we  had  decided  to 
take  with  us,  but  it  looked  as  if  we  should  require  to 
make  our  escape  in  the  dark,  taking  no  more  with  us  than 
we  might  be  able  to  carry  ourselves.  The  carters  who 
had  agreed  to  take  us  had  backed  out  of  their  bargains 
and  would  not  come  near  us,  though  we  offered  four  or 


624 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


five  times  the  usual  rates.  Our  servants  were  panic- 
stricken,  as  we  heard  of  one  band  of  desperate  characters 
planning  to  attack  us  before  we  left  our  premises ; and  of 
another  band  at  the  other  end  of  the  town,  formed  for 
the  purpose  of  attacking  us  after  we  left. 

There  was  no  sleep  for  us  that  night ; indeed  there  had 
not  been  much  for  several  nights ; but  this  particular  one 
was  passed  in  trying  to  put  courage  into  our  servants, 
and  in  spurring  on  the  few  friends  we  had  in  the  town 
to  take  active  measures  on  our  behalf.  We  induced  one 
man — our  teacher  (a  literary  graduate), — to  interview  the 
leaders  of  one  band,  and  by  reasoning,  expostulating  and 
threatening,  to  persuade  them  to  let  us  go  in  peace. 
Another  friend  performed  the  same  office  with  the  other 
band.  But  the  argument  that  weighed  most  with  both 
was  that  we  had  failed  to  secure  carts,  and  could  carry 
nothing  away  with  us. 

Daybreak  of  the  28th  arrived  and  while  we  welcomed 
it  as  a relief  from  the  terror  of  the  night,  we  dreaded  it 
as  the  day  on  which  we  should  have  to  set  out  on  our 
journey  without  having  been  able  to  make  proper 
arrangements  for  transport.  We  had  sent  a messenger 
to  a neighbouring  town  to  secure  carts  there  at  any  cost, 
and  as  he  had  not  yet  returned  we  feared  he  had  failed 
in  his  mission.  To  our  great  relief,  he  turned  up  with 
four  carts  while  we  were  pretending  to  take  breakfast.  It 
did  not  take  us  long  to  get  our  boxes  and  bedding  on 
board. 

And  here  one  of  those  incidents  occurred  that  force 
us  to  believe  in  a special  providence.  Just  as  we  were 
almost  ready  to  mount  our  carts  and  face  the  moh  that 
had  gathered  around  our  door,  the  officer  in  command  of 
the  Militia  in  our  town  returned  from  an  expedition 
against  some  robbers,  bringing  prisoners  with  him.  At 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 


625 

our  request  he  called  on  us  and  we  persuaded  him  to 
send  some  of  his  men  to  escort  us  a few  miles  on  our 
way.  This  nonplussed  the  mob  who  got  the  impression 
that  the  officer  had  come  by  arrangement  for  our  special 
protection.  And  the  fact  that  he  had  prisoners  with  him 
proved  to  the  rowdies  that  he  did  not  hold  his  office  in 
vain. 

The  whole  town  was  gathered  together  to  see  us  off, 
and  lined  the  streets  three  and  four  deep  on  both  sides 
all  the  way  from  our  house  to  the  town  gates ; but  all 
passed  off  quietly  and  a few  miles  out  our  special  escort 
left  us  to  the  care  of  four  men  who  had  been  provided  by 
our  Magistrate.  We  made  our  first  halt  at  Wei  Hai  Fu, 
and  at  once  sent  our  cards  to  both  civil  and  military  offi- 
cials, also  to  Father  Gerrard,  who  called  on  us  in  the 
course  of  the  evening.  We  explained  the  situation  to  the 
priest  and  invited  him  to  join  our  party.  He  replied 
that  he  had  not  power  to  do  so  without  permission  from 
his  bishop,  and  if  the  bishop  concluded  that  it  was  not 
safe  for  the  priests  to  remain  at  their  posts,  they  would 
all  retire  to  a place  already  prepared  among  the  hills, 
where  all  their  converts  were  armed  and  could  hold  out 
against  an  army. 

The  military  official  arrived  just  in  time  to  disperse  the 
mob  that  had  gathered  round  the  door  of  the  inn,  and  was 
getting  beyond  the  control  of  our  escort.  The  local  soldiers 
dispersed  them  and  we  had  peace  for  the  rest  of  the  night. 
Next  day  we  halted  at  Hsin  Hsiang  Hsien  for  our  mid- 
day meal.  I was  well  known  at  this  place,  and  put  up 
at  the  inn  of  a man  who  had  been  friendly  for  some 
years.  We  had  been  there  about  an  hour  when  this  inn- 
keeper told  us  that  some  Boxers  had  arrived  in  the  town 
a day  or  two  before  and  that  some  of  them  had  just  come 
to  him  making  inquiries  about  us,  our  destination,  etc. 


6a6 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


We  at  once  sent  our  card  to  the  official  to  inform  him 
and  ask  for  protection.  The  only  result  was  that  we 
were  told  that  the  official  was  not  at  home,  and  that  our 
informant  was  at  once  sent  for  by  the  Yamen  people 
and  told  to  get  rid  of  us  at  once.  We  started  off  fully 
expecting  to  be  pursued  by  the  Boxers,  but  reached  our 
inn  at  night  without  having  heard  anything  more  of 
them,  and  from  there  on  “ Boxers  ” seemed  to  be  an 
unknown  term. 

Next  day,  30th,  we  reached  Yuan  Wu  Hsien,  quite 
close  to  the  ferry  on  the  Yellow  River,  where  we  were 
to  meet  Mr.  Jameson  and  party.  The  official  here  at  once 
put  a strong  guard  at  the  door  of  our  inn  and  thus 
secured  perfect  quietness  for  us  inside. 

In  the  evening  we  were  much  relieved  by  the  arrival 
of  a mounted  messenger  from  Mr.  Jameson,  bringing 
word  that  he  and  his  party  were  coming  with  a large 
escort,  plenty  of  silver  and  a few  fire-arms. 

Next  day,  Sunday,  1st  July,  we  got  to  the  bank  of  the 
Yellow  River  first  and  waited  two  hours  for  Mr.  Jame- 
son. When  they  arrived  we  found  them  dressed  in 
Chinese  costume.  They  had  found  the  people  at  Wu 
Chih  Hsien — their  last  halting  place — very  rude.  The 
Magistrate  not  only  declared  he  could  not  protect  them 
unless  they  put  on  Chinese  clothing,  but  made  them  give 
up  much  of  their  luggage.  The  clothing  not  only  failed 
as  a disguise  but  seemed  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  they 
were  refugees,  and  must  have  been  meant  by  the  officials 
to  humiliate  them  or  else  as  a practical  joke,  for  they  cer- 
tainly looked  awkward  and  clumsy. 

Just  as  we  got  to  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  we  saw 
the  Chang  Te  Fu  and  Ch’u  Wang  party  arrive  on  the  north 
bank,  so  we  waited  till  they  came  across.  We  were  now 
a large  company — made  up  as  follows:  Ch’u  Wang  party, 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 


627 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  MacKenzie  and  one  child,  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Leslie,  Misses  McIntosh  and  Dow;  Chang  Te  Fu  party, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goforth  and  three  children,  Miss  Pyke  and 
Miss  Dr.  Wallace,  Messrs.  Griffith  and  Hood;  Hsin  Chen 
party,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mitchell,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Slimmon  and 
one  child ; Peking  Syndicate  party,  Messrs.  Jameson,  Reid 
and  Fisher.  The  missionaries  had  only  a small  escort;, 
but  Mr.  Jameson’s  party  had  a fine  escort  of  mounted 
men,  and  a petty  court  officer  who  was  very  useful  in  mak- 
ing arrangements  with  officials  by  the  way,  about  local 
escorts,  inns,  etc.  Flaving  now  the  Yellow  River  between 
us  and  the  Boxers,  we  got  off  bright  and  early  next  morn- 
ing, all  in  good  spirits,  with  the  exception  of  Mrs.  Slim- 
mon, who  was  beginning  to  be  anxious  about  her  baby, 
who  showed  signs  of  breaking  down  under  the  strain  of 
the  journey. 

Mr.  Jameson  was  inspired  with  a happy  thought  this 
morning  and  sent  a man  off  on  horseback  to  dispatch  a 
telegram  from  K'ai  Feng  Fu  to  the  British  and  Ameri- 
can Consuls  at  Hankow,  informing  them  of  our  where- 
abouts and  asking  that  help  be  sent.  The  messenger  had 
seventy  miles  to  go,  seventy  miles  back,  and  then  to  catch 
up  with  a party  travelling  thirty-five  miles  a day.  It  was 
a great  undertaking,  but  Mr.  'Jameson  was  not  a man  to 
be  daunted  by  difficulties  and  the  feat  was  accomplished 
at  the  expense  of  the  plucky  little  pony,  that  died  after 
reaching  Fan  Ch’eng.  The  sending  of  the  telegram 
proved  to  have  been  a wise  proceeding,  as  it  conveyed  to 
our  friends  the  first  intimation  that  we  were  alive,  and 
also  enabled  our  Consuls  to  get  Chang  Chih  Tung  to 
send  us  much  needed  help. 

The  next  two  days  we  suffered  much  from  heat,  as  we 
were  travelling  through  the  loess  region.  The  sun  blaz- 
ing down  into  the  deep  roads  made  them  like  ovens,  and 


628 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


the  roads  being  thirty  or  forty  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
country  there  was  no  possibility  of  getting  any  breeze.  On 
reaching  Hsiang  Hsien  we  found  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gracie 
living  in  seeming  peace  and  quietness.  They  were  sur- 
prised to  learn  that  we  were  fleeing  for  our  lives  and 
invited  Mrs.  Slimmon  and  myself  to  stay  with  them  for 
a while,  and  give  our  little  one  a chance  to  recover.  She 
was  by  this  time  very  ill  indeed  and  we  were  sorely 
tempted  to  run  the  risks  and  accept  the  invitation.  But 
at  midnight  Mr.  Gracie  came  to  our  inn  and  told  us 
that  the  converts  and  friends  had  strongly  advised  them 
to  join  our  party,  which  they  decided  to  do  and  would 
have  done,  but  found  it  impossible  to  secure  carts.  They 
expected  to  be  able  to  do  so  in  the  course  of  the  day  and 
try  to  overtake  us.  Subsequently  we  learned  that  they 
made  their  escape  by  way  of  Chou  Chia  K’ou  to  the 
province  of  Anhui,  having  most  harrowing  experiences 
by  the  way. 

We  were  now  approaching  the  Nan  Yang  Fu  district, 
the  only  place  where  we  really  anticipated  any  trouble, 
and  our  fears  proved  to  be  only  too  well  grounded.  On  the 
7th  July  we  arrived  at  Iisin  Tien,  thirty  li  north  of  Nan 
Yang  city.  We  had  intended  halting  there  for  the  night, 
but  on  our  arrival  we  found  it  impossible  to  get  accom- 
modations for  the  whole  party.  Mr.  Jameson,  with  his 
usual  thoughtfulness  for  the  ladies  and  children,  decided 
to  push  on  to  Nan  Yang  city,  well  knowing  that  it  was 
a most  dangerous  place  at  which  to  halt. 

And  just  here  I would  like  to  say  that  Mr.  Jameson 
and  his  party  nobly  fulfilled  the  promise  that  they  per- 
sonally, and  all  they  had,  would  be  at  our  disposal.  They 
not  only  gave  us  the  best  rooms  at  the  inns  when  there 
was  any  choice,  but  shared  their  stores  with  us,  giving  up 
their  last  tins  of  milk  when  they  learned  that  our  friends 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 


629 


had  exhausted  their  own  supply.  They  let  us  have  all  the 
silver  we  needed,  and  without  this  help  it  would  have 
been  impossible  for  us  to  get  along.  Mr.  Jameson  also 
proved  himself  to  be  a born  leader.  It  was  a great  relief 
to  leave  everything  in  his  hands,  knowing  that  there  was 
no  detail  of  arrangements,  such  as  interviewing  Man- 
darins, getting  the  daily  local  escort,  securing  inns,  and 
the  hundred  and  one  little  things  incidental  to  such  a 
journey,  but  were  in  most  capable  hands.  He  never 
seemed  worried  or  anxious,  but  had  a cheery  word  of 
encouragement  for  each  one  as  he  went  his  daily  rounds. 

On  leaving  Yu  Chou  at  daybreak  Mr.  Goforth’s  serv- 
ant took  the  wrong  road  and  later  the  other  parties  got 
separated  from  us  and  went  by  a different  way.  This 
took  the  large  company  of  ladies  and  children  safely  past 
a procession  of  rain  dancers  that  we  ran  into  in  one  of 
the  towns  en  route.  Mr.  Jameson  and  his  friends  were 
on  horseback  five  hundred  yards  ahead  of  our  carts,  and 
suddenly  found  themselves  surrounded  by  an  armed  body 
of  men  two  hundred  strong,  followed  by  a huge  rabble. 
The  rain  dancers  wore  green  wreaths  on  their  heads,  and 
were  armed  with  huge  swords,  being  on  a pilgrimage  to 
a famous  temple  to  pray  for  rain.  Catching  sight  of 
the  foreigners  they  at  once  surrounded  them,  crying  out 
“ Here  are  the  foreign  devils  that  have  chased  away  the 
rain.”  One  of  the  leaders  suggested  killing  them  at  once, 
and  our  friends  had  a bad  ten  minutes  persuading  the 
crowd  that  it  would  be  a dangerous  thing  to  try.  Mean- 
while we  came  to  the  fringe  of  the  crowd,  and  learning 
that  it  was  a rain  procession,  we  did  not  stay  to  make  fur- 
ther inquiries  but  turned  hastily  up  the  first  lane,  which 
proved  to  be  a cul  de  sac,  and  our  carts  stood  there  with 
their  backs  toward  the  main  street  effectually  screening 
us  from  the  mob,  who  passed  by  quite  unaware  of  the  fact 


630 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


that  there  were  foreign  women  in  their  midst.  Upon  get- 
ting through  the  town  we  found  Mr.  Jameson  and  friends 
filled  with  the  gravest  apprehensions  for  our  safety. 

We  arrived  at  Nan  Yang  Fu  after  dark,  and  searching 
the  city  for  quarters  had  finally  to  separate  and  put  up 
in  miserably  poor  inns,  but  this  turned  out  to  our  advan- 
tage. We  approached  our  inns  from  the  south,  thus 
throwing  those  off  the  scent  who  were  expecting  us  from 
the  north.  On  trying  to  see  the  official  we  were  told  he 
would  see  us  at  eight  o’clock  next  morning.  This  looked 
ominous.  At  midnight  a messenger  arrived  from  the 
party  at  Hsin  Tien,  saying  they  were  besieged  in  their 
inn,  and  asking  for  help.  We  tried  to  see  the  Mandarin 
to  get  help  for  our  friends,  but  only  succeeded  in  getting 
a promise  that  some  runners  would  be  dispatched  to  put 
down  the  disturbance.  Mr.  Jameson,  seeing  that  it  was 
useless  to  expect  help  from  the  Mandarins,  sent  back  half 
of  his  mounted  escort. 

Some  of  our  servants  told  us  that  the  Roman  Catholics 
had  been  besieged  in  their  fortified  place  four  miles  away, 
and  that  a soldier  had  been  beheaded  by  the  officials,  be- 
cause he  had  carried  out  their  orders  too  literally,  and 
in  trying  to  disperse  the  besiegers  had  injured  one  of 
them ; we  also  learned  that  plans  had  been  made  to  kill 
the  whole  of  our  party,  and  it  was  for  this  reason  that 
we  had  been  told  to  wait  till  eight  o’clock  next  morning. 

Realizing  our  danger,  we  at  once  got  our  tired  animals 
hitched  up  again,  and  got  off  at  three  o’clock  and 
travelled  to  Hsin  Yeh  Hsien ; here  some  of  the  mounted 
men  who  had  been  sent  back  to  Hsin  Tien  to  help  our 
friends  turned  up,  and  told  us  what  had  been  taking  place. 
Our  friends  had  been  in  negotiation  with  their  besiegers, 
who  were  demanding  a large  sum  of  money.  They 
waited  on  in  their  inn  till  eight  o’clock,  hoping  that  assist- 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 


631 


ance  would  come  from  us,  then  despairing  of  that  hope 
they  left  their  inn,  and  were  surprised  to  find  the  town  so 
quiet. 

The  sigh  of  relief  they  gave  on  reaching  the  town  gate 
was  turned  into  a gasp  of  dismay  as  they  passed  through 
and  found  a mob  of  several  thousand  people  waiting  for 
them  outside.  A band  of  two  hundred  men  lining  the  road 
waited  till  the  last  cart  had  passed  out  of  the  town  and 
then  made  a sudden  attack  on  our  friends,  who  jumped  off 
the  carts  and  tried  to  frighten  them  off  by  firing  a few 
revolver  shots  over  their  heads.  Mrs.  Leslie,  who  was 
completely  prostrated  by  the  fatigue  of  the  journey,  was 
unable  to  get  off  her  cart,  and  it  was  in  trying  to  shield 
her  that  Dr.  Leslie  was  seriously  injured.  Besides  a large 
number  of  flesh  wounds  he  had  his  right  wrist  and  right 
leg  cut  through  to  the  bone,  the  large  sinews  in  each  case 
being  severed.  Mr.  Goforth  also  received  bad  sword 
cuts  on  the  head,  and  two  of  Mr.  Jameson’s  men  who 
fought  bravely  received  severe  wounds,  which  later  proved 
to  be  fatal.  When  our  friends  got  clear  of  the  carts,  the 
mob  began  at  once  to  break  open  the  boxes  and  the  sight 
of  the  loot  turned  the  armed  band  from  their  design,  thus 
enabling  our  friends  to  make  good  their  escape. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  they  all  found  their  way  back 
to  the  main  road,  managed  to  get  the  empty  carts,  and 
proceeded  on  their  journey,  having  lost  everything,  but 
thankful  to  have  escaped  alive.  At  daybreak  next  morn- 
ing the  servant  who  had  lost  his  way  rejoined  us.  He 
belonged  to  Mr.  Goforth,  so  we  gave  him  a shoe  of  silver 
and  sent  him  back  to  meet  his  party. 

We  pushed  on  towards  Fan  Ch’eng  and  about  midday 
reached  the  border  of  Hupei  province  to  find  a fine  body 
of  soldiers  sent  out  to  meet  us  from  Hsiang  Yang  Fu.  by 
order  of  Chang  Chih  Tung.  Our  hearts  went  up  in 


632 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


thanksgiving  as  we  realized  that  here  was  real  and  ade- 
quate help,  and  that  consequently  our  dangers  were  over. 
Arriving  at  Fan  Ch’eng  we  found  that  every  provision 
had  been  made  for  our  safety  and  comfort.  We  waited 
here  for  our  friends,  who  arrived  on  the  night  of  the 
10th,  in  a sad  plight  indeed,  poor  Dr.  Leslie  especially 
being  in  a bad  case,  having  had  to  lie  in  the  bottom  of  his 
cart  for  three  days  without  having  his  wounds  attended 
to  since  they  had  received  the  first  rough  dressing  by 
Dr.  Jennie  Dow,  who  tore  up  one  of  her  remaining  gar- 
ments to  make  bandages  for  him. 

We  spent  all  of  the  next  day  providing  them  with  an 
outfit.  Mr.  Jameson  and  his  friends  were  able  to  supply 
the  gentlemen  with  underclothing,  etc.,  while  the  ladies 
had  to  be  content  with  a Chinese  wardrobe.  Our  sweet 
little  Eleanore  died  on  the  nth,  just  nine  months  old, 
and  while  our  hearts  felt  too  sore  for  words,  we  were  so 
thankful  that  she  had  lived  until  reaching  Fan  Clreng,  as 
we  were  able  to  take  the  body  on  from  there  and  have  it 
buried  in  the  English  cemetery  at  Hankow. 

We  travelled  down  the  Flan  River  to  that  port,  and 
two  days  out  from  there  were  met  by  a steam-launch 
sent  out  by  the  American  Consul  to  bring  us  in. 

Arriving  at  Hankow  on  the  21st  we  went  directly  on 
board  a steamer  for  Shanghai,  having  been  twenty-four 
days  on  our  journey. 

English  Baptist  Mission,  Shansi. 

Upon  the  entrance  of  Yii  Hsien  into  Shansi  as  Gov- 
ernor, the  Boxers  spread  rapidly  throughout  the  province. 

Communication  with  the  coast  was  cut  off  in  May,  so 
that  money  supplies  were  not  received.  About  June  21st 
Mr.  Farthing  wrote  from  T’ai  Yuan  Fu  to  Mr.  Dixon, 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 


633 


at  Hsin  Chou,  that  it  was  known  that  a telegram  had 
come  from  the  Empress  Dowager  to  destroy  all  foreigners, 
and  added  “ If  true,  I am  ready  and  do  not  fear;  if  such 
be  God’s  will  I can  even  rejoice  to  die.”  On  reading  this, 
Mr.  Dixon  said  to  Mr.  Chao,  his  evangelist,  “ I feel  just 
the  same ! ” 

In  the  city  of  Hsin  Chou,  from  June  23-25^,  near 
the  mission  premises,  theatrical  performances  were  given 
to  the  god  of  wealth.  A great  crowd  were  present 
and  a clamouring  mob  formed  at  the  mission  gate.  Ap- 
peal was  made  to  the  Magistrate  who  at  first  promised  a 
guard,  but  it  failed  to  appear. 

By  this  time  the  Edict  telegraphed  from  Peking  had 
become  known,  as  when  another  request  was  made,  with 
threat  of  reporting  to  the  Governor  if  not  granted,  the 
Magistrate  replied,  “ Tell  the  foreigner  he  can  report  to 
the  Emperor  if  he  likes  and  I shall  not  fear!  ” 

Reports  from  country  stations  of  violence  of  Boxers 
towards  native  Christians  led  to  sending  a messenger  to 
T’ai  Yuan  with  a letter  of  consultation  to  Mr.  Farthing. 
On  reaching  T’ai  Yuan  the  messenger  found  some  of  the 
missions  already  destroyed  and  all  abandoned.  Pie  ha- 
stened back  and  reported  the  circumstances.  Mr.  Dixon 
comprehended  the  growing  danger,  called  the  mission  to- 
gether and  after  consultation  decided  upon  flight.  There 
were  eight  in  their  party. 

Taking  food,  clothing,  and  bedding,  with  some  money, 
they  set  out  in  the  early  morning  and  travelled  thirty  li 
where  they  rested  for  a time.  While  at  this  point  they 
learned  that  two  hours  after  they  left  their  homes  a 
proclamation  from  the  Governor  had  come  for  the  local 
officials  to  destroy  the  foreigners’  houses  and  kill  the 
foreigners.  On  hearing  this  they  decided  to  move  on  at 
once  to  the  place  of  hiding  which  they  had  chosen. 


634 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


After  leaving  the  village  Mr.  Dixon  dismissed  the 
faithful  evangelist  Mr.  Chao,  who  was  only  persuaded 
to  leave  them  on  the  consideration  that  he  might  get  word 
to  foreign  friends  and  perhaps  secure  help.  It  was  a 
sorrowful  parting,  but  in  it  shone  forth  the  brave  spirit 
of  those  who  were  soon  to  lay  down  their  lives.  Mr. 
Dixon  said  “ If  we  are  all  killed  and  not  one  escapes  there 
are  many  more  to  take  our  place.”  Mrs.  Dixon  spoke  of 
her  four  children  who  were  to  lose  a mother’s  care,  but 
said,  “ God  will  surely  raise  up  friends  for  them.” 

This  same  evangelist  returned  to  Shansi  in  October 
and  learned  the  rest  of  the  story  of  this  company. 

On  the  evening  of  that  day  they  reached  the  village 
of  Liu  Cilia  Shan  where  the  one  Christian  of  the  place 
had  his  home  in  a cave,  and  where  they  expected  to  pre- 
pare a cave  for  themselves  as  a place  of  refuge  and 
defence. 

They  lived  in  this  place  for  twenty  days  unmolested, 
when  their  place  of  hiding  became  known  to  the  Boxers 
who  sent  a company  to  arrest  them.  The  villagers  fled 
and  the  band  could  not  effect  their  arrest.  A few  days 
later  a deputy  with  soldiers  went  to  them  and  with  prom- 
ises of  a safe  escort  to  the  coast  induced  them  to  return 
to  Hsin  Chou.  By  this  time  their  food  supply  was 
exhausted,  and  they  had  been  five  days  without  food. 

On  arriving  at  Hsin  Chou  they  were  taken  to  the  ya- 
men.  The  Magistrate  asked  how  much  money  they  had 
in  the  bank,  and  when  told  drew  it  all  out  and  kept  it 
himself. 

The  missionaries  were  placed  in  the  common  jail  where 
they  were  kept  for  sixteen  days,  receiving  only  the  poorest 
prison  fare.  On  Aug.  7th,  a deputy  from  Yii  Hsien  came 
to  see  that  the  Governor’s  will  was  carried  out. 

Two  days  later  they  were  taken  from  prison,  placed  in 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 


635 


four  carts  and  told  they  were  to  be  taken  to  the  coast. 
Arriving  at  the  east  gate  of  the  city  the  missionaries 
were  dragged  from  their  carts  and  stripped  of  all  their 
clothes.  Then  both  Boxers  and  soldiers  set  upon  them 
and  literally  hacked  their  heads  to  pieces.  Their  bodies 
were  dragged  outside  the  city  and  left  on  the  banks  of  a 
river  where  they  were  shamefully  treated  by  villagers 
near  by.  Later  the  head  of  the  literary  graduates  of  the 
city,  who  had  been  friendly  to  Mr.  Dixon,  bought  mats 
in  which  to  wrap  the  bodies  and  hired  men  to  bury 
them  at  the  foot  of  the  city  wall. 

After  the  massacre  the  highest  military  official  went  to 
the  mission  houses,  chose  the  articles  which  he  wanted 
for  himself,  and  then  turned  the  houses  over  to  the 
soldiers  and  the  people  to  loot. 

China  Inland  Mission,  Honan* 

The  long  continued  drought  in  Honan  had  produced 
a restless  feeling  among  the  people  and  made  them  ripe 
for  mobs  and  riots.  Warning  had  been  sent  by  mission- 
aries fleeing  from  the  north  that  it  would  be  better  for 
us  at  She  Ch’i  Tien  to  escape  at  once. 

Sunday,  July  8th,  a large  crowd  gathered  at  the  close 
of  the  service,  watching  the  Christians  as  they  scattered, 
and  although  it  was  dispersed  without  an  outbreak  it 
became  evident  that  we  must  hasten  our  preparations  for 
leaving. 

The  next  morning  at  an  early  hour  the  streets  were 
again  packed  with  a mob,  evidently  intent  on  mischief. 
We  could  not  go  into  the  streets,  but  our  boxes  were 
taken  over  a wall  into  a neighbour’s  yard,  and  we  all 
followed  by  means  of  a ladder.  Soon  after  this  the  mob 

* Dr.  G.  W.  Guinness  and  party. 


636 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


were  battering  on  our  front  door.  Our  teacher,  who  was 
pale  with  apprehension,  said  “ I fear  worse  than  death 
may  happen  to  you ! ” The  landlord  of  that  house  led  us 
to  his  guest-hall  in  one  corner  of  which  was  a ladder 
leading  to  a loft.  He  bade  us  “ go  up  quickly  and  keep 
still ! ” 

There  we  lay  hid,  listening  to  the  shouts  of  the  mob 
and  soon  to  the  crash  of  falling  timbers  and  masonry. 
The  rioting  had  begun  in  earnest.  The  heat  was  intense 
and  in  a little  time  we  heard  the  crackling  of  flames,  and 
saw  the  smoke  of  our  burning  homes.  Suddenly  there 
were  a rush ! The  mob  had  traced  us  over  the  wall  and 
into  the  room  beneath,  where  every  sound  was  heard  by 
us.  “ Kill  the  foreigners ! They  must  be  here ! Let  us 
go  up  the  ladder ! ” 

After  brisk  altercation  they  were  dissuaded  from  doing 
so  and  went  away  only  to  return  again  and  again.  They 
got  on  the  roof  and  stared  in  through  the  five  windows 
but  we  stood  between  the  windows,  flat  against  the  wall. 
Once  two  boys  caught  sight  of  us  and  spread  the  news. 
Back  came  the  crowd  but  again  were  bluffed  off  by  the 
landlord. 

So  passed  the  day  from  7 a.  m.  till  8 p.  m.  when  dark- 
ness brought  relief.  One  of  the  ladies  had  been  seriously 
ill  and  was  very  weak.  Her  month  old  babe  might  cry 
and  reveal  our  whereabouts,  when  all  would  be  lost.  We 
prayed  in  silence  and  the  Lord  heard  and  kept  the  child 
quiet  from  dawn  till  dark.  A pot  of  tea  was  passed  up 
and  then  the  wearied  mother  could  quench  her  thirst. 

Then  the  landlord  came  and  said  “ Don’t  delay ! Fol- 
low me ! ” We  descended  the  ladder,  crossed  the  court 
and  entered  a room  where  grain  was  stored.  A stool 
was  placed  on  a great  basket  of  grain,  from  this  we 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 


637 


clambered  through  a trap-door  to  a loft  above.  The  stool 
was  removed,  the  door  shut  and  all  trace  of  our  where- 
abouts was  gone.  The  room  was  full  of  dust  and  rub- 
bish, but  it  gave  us  a safe  refuge  for  four  long  days. 

That  first  night  we  le'ft  the  loft  to  go  to  another 
house  where  carts  were  to  take  us  away  when  the  police 
again  appeared  at  the  front  gate  to  search  the  house. 
Back  we  hastened  up  the  ladder  and  their  search  was 
again  futile.  The  next  morning  rioters  came  and  finished 
the  work  of  demolishing  our  house.  All  day  their  yells 
and  blows  on  the  house  sounded  in  our  ears.  Towards 
night  I heard  two  men  piling  timbers  near  our  hiding 
place  to  burn  us  out,  but  they  did  not  fire  the  house. 

Every  night  new  plans  for  escape  were  discussed. 
Every  day  fresh  bands  of  searchers  came  to  hunt  for  us. 
At  midday  of  Thursday  our  landlord  suddenly  appeared 
and  said  “ Fly ! they  have  come  with  swords  to  kill  you ! ” 
In  two  minutes  all  had  dropped  through  the  trap-door 
and  scaled  the  wall  into  the  garden  of  our  ruined  home 
and  were  standing  in  the  blazing  sun.  Soon  a man  fol- 
lowed us  over  the  wall,  failed  to  see  us,  and  called  back 
“ They  are  not  here ! ” We  were  soon  safely  back  in  our 
loft  again. 

That  night  came  rain  and  with  it  a chance  to  escape 
to  a large  business  firm,  where  we  were  hidden  in  the 
strong  room  in  the  top  of  the  house.  The  room  was 
small  and  dark  with  one  window  eighteen  inches  high. 
Here  we  stayed  twelve  days,  guarded  by  a member  of 
the  firm  who  was  armed  with  gun  and  sword  and  sharp, 
heavy  iron  pins  for  throwing. 

In  the  early  morning  of  our  last  day  carts  were  brought, 
in  which  we  made  our  way  out  of  the  city  and  eight  li 
down  the  river  wliere  a small  boat  was  in  waiting  with 


638 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


four  men  for  escort.  The  boat  was  searched  by  customs 
officials  at  different  barriers  twelve  times  or  more,  but 
we  were  not  discovered. 

We  and  our  escort  lived  in  the  one  small  cabin  thirteen 
days  until  we  reached  Hankow  in  safety.  We  paid  our 
escort  their  well-earned  reward  and  dismissed  them.  We 
were  ragged  and  dirty,  and  in  clothing  that  we  had  lived 
in  for  a month,  but  we  were  thankful  to  have  been 
brought  safely  through  our  perils  by  One  who  “ never 
forsakes  those  who  trust  in  Him.” 

China  Inland  Mission,  Shansi* 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ogren  had  been  stationed  at  Yung  Ning 
in  the  western  part  of  Shansi  only  a year.  The  officials 
were  very  friendly,  one  of  them  having  asked  Mr.  Ogren 
privately  the  right  way  to  pray  for  rain,  as  his  own 
prayer  had  been  unavailing.  The  people  had  become  rest- 
less and  threatening  because  of  the  long  drought. 

In  the  middle  of  June  the  Boxers  came  to  the  city.  They 
rapidly  made  recruits  and  soon  a guard  was  sent  to 
protect  the  mission  from  them.  The  official  advised  Mr. 
Ogren  to  take  his  family  away.  Their  servants  began 
to  forsake  them. 

One  day  a man  went  through  the  streets  beating  a 
gong  and  warning  the  people  away  from  the  wells  which 
the  foreigners  had  poisoned.  That  day  the  main  spring 
of  the  city  turned  red.  The  official  dared  not  let  Mr. 
Ogren  longer  visit  him  but  sent  his  Secretary  by  night  to 
consult  with  them.  They  at  last  asked  the  official  to 
furnish  them  with  funds  for  their  journey,  their  own 
supply  from  the  coast  being  cut  off.  This  he  was  ready 
to  do ; also  to  take  charge  of  their  house. 

* Story  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ogren. 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 


639 


That  night  while  packing,  a spy  was  discovered  in  a 
tree  of  the  court  watching  them.  Before  daylight  the 
morning  of  July  13th  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ogren  and  their  little 
child  started  in  a litter  for  the  Yellow  River  eighty  li 
away,  to  go  to  Hankow.  They  were  provided  with  a 
guard,  and  also  with  an  order  from  the  Magistrate  to  the 
official  at  the  river  bank  to  hire  a boat  for  them.  On  ar- 
riving at  the  river  there  was  a hostile  demonstration  by 
the  crowd  but  the  official  saw  them  safely  off  in  person. 
Two  soldiers  went  with  them  on  the  boat. 

The  current  was  very  swift  and  their  frail  craft  was  in 
constant  danger  of  being  wrecked.  They  went  five  hun- 
dred li,  half-way  to  Tung  Kuan,  the  corner  of  the  prov- 
ince where  Shansi,  Shensi  and  Hanan  join.  At  this  half- 
way place  they  were  told  that  a party  of  foreigners  had 
been  murdered  and  their  bodies  thrown  into  the  river  only 
a few  days  before,  and  it  was  probable  that  this  would 
be  their  fate  if  they  continued  down  the  river. 

They  decided  to  get  across  the  river  into  Shensi,  and 
soon  came  to  a place  where  there  wTas  an  official  eighty 
years  old  who  knew  the  Yung  Ning  official  and  showed 
them  great  kindness.  He  had  a farm  across  the  river 
in  Shansi  and  offered  to  send  them  there  and  let  them 
have  food,  while  they  could  hide  in  caves  nearby  till 
peace  came.  While  with  this  old  official,  a party  of 
soldiers  came  saying  they  were  sent  to  drive  the  for- 
eigners out  of  the  province.  Their  host  gave  the  soldiers 
a feast  and  persuaded  them  to  go  away.  He  soon  sent 
the  refugees  on  their  way,  with  servants  to  escort  them 
across  the  river. 

It  was  only  ten  li  distant,  but  before  going  half  that 
distance  they  were  set  upon  by  robbers  who  took  all  their 
money,  except  one  hundred  cash,  and  most  of  their  cloth- 
ing. Reaching  the  ferry  they  crossed  in  the  early  morning 


640 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


but  waited  four  days  to  send  back  to  the  old  official  for 
money.  This  came  and  they  walked  on  towards  the 
farm,  going  slowly,  carrying  their  child.  The  next  day 
they  reached  the  farm  but  were  not  kindly  received  by 
the  tenants.  At  first  they  refused  them  food  but  later 
gave  a scanty  supply.  They  were  twice  visited  by  rob- 
bers, and  at  last  were  threatened  by  the  farmer’s  son, 
who  coveted  the  hundred  taels  offered  by  Yu  Hsien 
for  every  foreigner’s  head. 

This  led  them  to  leave  their  hiding-place  and  make 
their  way  northward  again  to  return  to  Yung  Ning.  The 
road  was  very  rough,  the  country  sparsely  inhabited,  but 
many  people  were  kind,  so  they  could  at  least  get  one 
meal  a day  and  places  to  sleep. 

After  several  days  they  came  to  a branch  of  the  Yellow 
River  which  they  must  ford  on  foot.  An  old  man  led 
the  way  through  the  swift  current,  and  also  let  them 
rest  at  his  place  that  night  and  the  next  day.  The  day 
after,  when  nearing  a customs  barrier,  they  were  set  upon 
by  a crowd  and  later  followed  by  a customs  guard  who 
had  been  ordered  to  get  them  out  of  Shensi.  This  guard 
several  times  seemed  on  the  point  of  killing  them,  but 
finally  went  with  them  across  the  river  and  then  handed 
them  over  to  the  Boxers. 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Ogren  was  taken  to  the  Boxer 
General.  Mrs.  Ogren  could  hear  his  voice  for  a time 
pleading  for  his  life,  then  the  sound  of  the  incantations 
inquiring  if  their  lives  were  to  be  spared,  then  followed 
a great  uproar  which  she  thought  to  be  his  death. 

Later  a man  came  to  take  her  on,  telling  her  she 
and  her  husband  were  to  be  sent  on  to  Yung  Ning,  but 
she  did  not  believe  that  the  latter  was  still  living.  She 
spent  that  night  in  a cave.  In  the  morning  while  going 
on  they  met  a Boxer  band  and  her  guide  disappeared. 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES  641 

The  Boxers  rushed  at  her  as  if  about  to  kill  her,  but 
only  ordered  her  to  get  away,  which  she  did  rapidly. 

In  the  afternoon  she  stopped  under  the  shade  of  a 
tree  where  many  women  gathered  around  her.  They 
were  very  kind  and  pitiful  and  gave  food  for  herself  and 
babe.  At  night  she  learned  that  there  were  Christians 
across  the  river.  She  forded  it,  being  nearly  swept  away, 
and  then  found  no  friends,  only  enemies  who  would  only 
give  her  water  and  left  her  and  the  child  to  sleep  under 
the  open  sky.  In  the  night  two  Christians  stole  to  her 
side  and  led  her  to  a cave,  but  could  do  no  more  for 
her  because  of  the  Boxers. 

In  the  morning  she  re-crossed  the  river  but  was  soon 
seen  by  Boxers  who  with  drawn  swords  drove  her  to  a 
temple.  The  head-man  of  the  village  came  out  and  rescued 
her,  giving  her  food  and  some  stockings ; the  next  day 
he  sent  her  on  to  Ta  Ning  under  guard.  The  Boxers 
followed  full  of  fury  and  were  with  difficulty  restrained 
from  falling  upon  her.  Arriving  at  Ta  Ning  she  was 
taken  to  the  common  prison.  Food  and  fruit  and  some 
money  were  passed  to  her  through  a hole  in  the  door. 
The  keepers  were  quite  kind. 

The  next  morning  she  was  taken  to  the  Magistrate, 
and  made  to  kneel  while  she  told  her  story.  He  became 
kindly  in  manner  and  said  her  husband  was  still  living 
and  would  rejoin  her  later.  She  was  then  led  to  an  inner 
court  where  the  official’s  wife  wanted  to  see  her.  The 
lady  came  out  on  a balcony  and  threw  one  hundred  cash 
to  her.  That  night  in  the  midst  of  the  night  she  heard 
her  husband’s  voice  calling  her.  She  found  him  speak- 
ing through  a hole  in  the  door.  The  next  morning  they 
were  taken  to  a comfortable  room  in  the  yamen  where 
she  was  able  to  dress  his  wounds,  cook  some  food  for 
him  and  hear  the  story  of  his  escape. 


642 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


When  taken  to  the  Boxer  General  he  had  first  been 
upbraided  for  destroying  the  people  with  his  doctrine  and 
was  then  given  up  to  the  crowd  of  Boxers.  They  kicked 
and  beat  him  cruelly,  taunting  him  with  “ Pray  to  your 
Jesus  now ! ” 

They  led  him  to  the  bank  of  the  river  to  kill  him 
and  there  fell  on  him  with  spears  and  swords.  Being 
clumsy  with  their  weapons  they  inflicted  no  fatal  wounds. 
He  finally  jumped  into  the  river  and  although  his  hands 
were  bound  he  struggled  across  and  escaped  in  the  dark- 
ness. The  next  day  a Christian  farmer  helped  him  with 
food  and  money.  Learning  that  his  wife  was  at  Ta 
Ning  he  worked  his  way  on  to  that  city  avoiding  notice 
and  evading  Boxers  until  just  as  he  entered  the  city, 
when  he  was  chased  to  the  yamen  where  the  official 
sheltered  him.  His  wounds  were  severe,  on  head  and 
neck  and  shoulders,  from  sword  and  spear. 

By  this  time  it  was  the  last  of  August.  After  two 
days  two  donkeys  with  wooden  pack-saddles  were  fur- 
nished them  and  they  were  sent  on  to  P’u  Hsien.  They 
were  attacked  by  Boxers,  but  their  guard  fought  them  off. 
From  that  place  they  were  to  have  gone  on  to  P’ing  Yang, 
but  orders  came  to  send  them  back  to  Ta  Ning. 

This  journey  was  made  in  great  pain  and  discomfort, 
no  food  being  given  them.  Her  husband  fell  into  the 
water  when  fording  a stream,  but  they  at  last  reached 
the  city.  They  were  again  put  in  prison  and  given  food. 
At  this  time  the  little  one  grew  very  ill,  but  a man  brought 
a cow  and  they  got  milk.  The  vermin  in  the  filthy  prison 
were  terrible,  and  Mr.  Ogren  grew  ill  with  fever.  Their 
only  comfort  was  prayer. 

Here  they  lived  on  till  early  in  October,  when  deliver- 
ance came.  Orders  arrived  to  suppress  the  Boxers  and 
send  the  foreigners  to  P ing  Yang  to  be  forwarded  to  the 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 


643 


coast.  They  went  part  of  the  way  in  chairs  and  part  way 
in  mule  litters,  being  forwarded  from  stage  to  stage  by 
the  officials. 

Arriving  at  P'ing  Yang  they  were  most  politely  re- 
ceived by  the  officials  and  sent  to  a former  mission  house. 
It  was  nearly  all  in  ruins  but  there  were  two  rooms  that 
could  be  used.  After  a few  days  Mr.  Ogren  grew  worse 
and  died  October  15th.  The  Chinese  were  kind  and  as- 
sisted in  giving  burial.  Not  a few  surviving  Christians 
came  to  sympathize  with  his  widow. 

Soon  after,  the  baby  boy  grew  very  ill,  but  again  the 
mother  got  a cow,  and  with  proper  food  the  child  re- 
covered. The  latter  part  of  October  she  was  joined  by 
Mr.  McKie,  Miss  Chapman  and  Miss  Way,  who  with 
herself  were  probably  the  only  foreigners  who  had  re- 
mained in  the  province  and  survived  the  storm.  Early 
in  December  a little  daughter  was  born  to  her  and  a 
month  later  the  party  were  sent  under  escort  south 
through  Shansi,  Honan,  and  Hupei  to  Hankow,  which 
they  reached  after  about  six  weeks  of  travel. 

Kalgan  to  Kiakhta.* 

On  June  6th,  1900,  the  Rev.  Mark  Williams  and  the 
Rev.  J.  H.  Roberts  left  Peking  for  Kalgan,  returning  to 
that  station  in  haste,  to  help  the  Rev.  W.  P.  Sprague  and 
other  members  of  the  mission  of  the  American  Board 
against  the  Boxers.  With  us  went  Miss  Dr.  V.  C.  Mur- 
dock, to  do  medical  work  in  Kalgan ; and  Mr.  Carl  G. 
Soderborn,  whose  family  were  there.  Passing  through 
Hsiian  Hua  Fu,  we  persuaded  Mr.  Lundquist  and  family 
to  go  with  us,  for  there  were  many  Boxers  in  that  city. 

* Prepared  at  the  request  of  the  author  by  the  Rev.  James  H. 
Roberts. 


644 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


On  June  loth  we  readied  Kalgan,  and  found  a howling 
mob  at  our  gate, — hundreds  of  men  and  boys  having  come 
to  see  our  houses  burned.  After  a long  time,  an  official 
sent  the  mob  away,  but  they  returned  in  the  evening,  and 
the  danger  became  so  imminent  that  a shot-gun  had  to 
be  pointed  at  the  crowd.  Most  providentially,  they 
yielded  to  that  argument. 

In  the  night  we  sent  away  all  the  Chinese  who  were 
with  us,  and  at  daybreak  we  fled  to  the  Yamen  of  the 
Manchu  General.  There  were  six  in  our  party,  includ- 
ing Mrs.  Sprague  and  Miss  Engh.  We  asked  to  be  pro- 
tected one  day,  and  sent  into  Mongolia  with  a guard.  In 
the  afternoon  a mob  gathered  in  front  of  the  Yamen. 
The  General  tried  to  send  us  to  another  part  of  the  city, 
but  we  refused  to  go.  At  sunset  we  and  our  baggage 
were  removed  to  a little  musty  house  in  one  corner  of 
the  yard,  and  were  locked  up — whether  for  life  or  death, 
we  did  not  know — but  after  midnight  we  were  sent  with 
a guard  of  many  soldiers  through  the  Great  Wall  into 
Mongolia. 

We  found  that  the  Mongols  also  were  Boxers,  and 
there  was  no  place  where  we  could  remain.  At  Hara 
Oso,  fifty  miles  northwest  of  Kalgan,  we  joined  Messrs. 
Larson,  Soderborn  and  Lundquist,  with  their  families, 
who  were  living  in  tents,  and  preparing  to  go  to  Urga. 
Mr.  Sprague  went  back  to  Kalgan,  and  got  our  money, 
which  was  on  deposit  in  a Chinese  bank.  He  brought 
with  him  Mr.  A.  L.  Fagerholm,  who  was  vainly  trying 
to  reach  the  coast.  Mr.  Roberts  also  went  to  Kalgan,  to 
get  warm  clothing  for  the  whole  party.  We  all  rejoiced 
that,  when  we  had  to  flee  for  our  lives,  we  found  ten 
camels  and  nine  horses  ready  for  our  use. 

On  June  23rd,  under  a glorious  sunset  sky,  we  started 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 


645 


on  our  long  journey.  The  third  day  we  lost  a camel,  and 
the  search  for  it  delayed  us  two  days.  Meantime  mes- 
sengers came  from  four  Swedish  missionaries,  who  had 
been  attacked  by  a mob  in  Feng  Chen  and  were  hurry- 
ing to  overtake  us.  Their  magistrate,  most  wonderful  to 
relate,  had  given  them  an  indemnity  of  eight  hundred 
taels  ($600),  and  they  came  to  us  with  large  supplies  of 
money  and  food.  The  latter  was  as  necessary  to  us  as 
our  camels  and  horses  were  to  them,  and  we  saw  that  the 
loss  of  the  camel  was  most  providential,  as  without  it 
they  could  not  have  overtaken  us. 

Our  party  consisted  of  ten  men,  seven  ladies,  six  little 
children,  and  seven  Mongols  to  care  for  the  animals.  At 
the  most  we  had  twenty  camels  and  nineteen  horses.  At 
one  place  we  were  forbidden  to  draw  water  from  the 
well.  The  King  of  the  Sunit  Mongols  forbade  his  people 
to  sell  animals  to  us,  and  sent  soldiers  to  watch  the  wells, 
lest  we  put  poison  in  them. 

Mr.  Larson  was  a splendid  leader,  a good  marksman 
and  horseman,  a fluent  speaker  of  Mongolian,  and  a man 
of  great  courage.  He  had  traversed  the  desert  of  Gobi 
twice  before.  We  called  him  “ Moses.”  We  had  an 
armament  of  one  rifle,  one  shot-gun,  and  two  revolvers, 
which,  under  the  divine  Providence,  saved  us  from  at- 
tack. 

Two  ladies  and  two  gentlemen  each  day  formed  a 
Cooking  Committee.  The  other  men  were  a Fuel  Com- 
mittee, the  fuel  consisting  of  the  dung  of  animals,  dried 
in  the  sun  and  wind.  Two  large  buckets  with  covers, 
carried  on  a camel,  contained  our  precious  supply  of 
water.  The  wells  were  far  apart,  and  often  the  water 
was  undrinkable.  Once  in  a few  days  we  killed  a sheep 
and  ate  mutton,  but  the  meat  was  little  for  so  many 


646 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


hungry  people.  Our  chief  food  was  thin  rice  or  millet 
gruel,  with  gravel  in  it  that  cracked  our  teeth.  Once 
in  five  or  ten  days,  one  would  feel  satisfied  with  his 
dinner. 

In  the  desert,  ten  days  of  great  heat  intensified  our 
thirst.  The  shade  of  the  six  carts,  in  which  the  ladies 
and  children  rode  and  slept,  was  our  only  relief  from 
the  burning  sun ; and  the  lack  of  sleep,  due  to  constant 
travelling  in  the  night,  made  existence  almost  unen- 
durable. 

When  within  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  of  Urga, 
we  telegraphed  to  the  Russian  Consul-General : “ Six 

Americans,  seventeen  Swedes,  going  to  Urga  request 
protection.”  His  answer,  telling  us  to  come  right  to  the 
Consulate,  gave  us  a new  lease  of  life.  Arriving  there 
July  30th,  after  thirty-eight  days  (660  miles)  from  Hara 
Oso,  we  had  four  days  of  rest. 

However,  Urga  was  full  of  Boxers,  and  we  must  move 
on.  Russian  passports  were  given  us,  to  enable  us  to 
travel  to  St.  Petersburg;  food  was  bought  for  our  jour- 
ney; and  we  started  for  Kiakhta,  the  nearest  town  in 
Siberia.  Mr.  O.  S.  Nastegard,  Jr.,  a Norwegian  mis- 
sionary, who  could  speak  Russian,  went  with  us,  and 
became  our  “ Joshua.” 

Shortly  after  leaving  Urga,  we  met  three  hundred  and 
fifty  Cossacks,  who  had  been  sent  to  protect  us.  In 
thirteen  days  we  travelled  two  hundred  and  ten  miles 
to  the  border  of  the  two  Empires.  There  the 
Mongol  Mandarin  tried  to  stop  us,  but  the  Russian  Gov- 
ernor of  Kiakhta  saved  us  from  his  clutches.  We  rested 
there  two  weeks.  Many  Russians  were  very  kind  to  us. 
The  infant  child  of  Mr.  Soderborn  died,  and  was  buried 
in  a Russian  cemetery,  and  even  the  Priest  attended  our 


NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES 


647 


Protestant  funeral.  Money  was  sent  by  cable  from 
America  for  our  use,  but  the  robbers,  who  dogged  our 
steps  fourteen  days,  could  not  get  it,  because  we  took  it 
in  letters  of  credit,  to  be  paid  in  Irkutsk. 

We  hired  a number  of  tarantasses — carriages  with 
wooden  springs,  drawn  by  three  horses  driven  furiously 
— and  after  going  five  days  over  prairie  and  mountains, 
and  through  a magnificent  forest,  we  reached  Lake 
Baikal,  which  we  crossed  on  a small  steamer  September 
1st.  The  waves  on  the  lake  were  tremendous.  Re- 
covering from  sea-sickness,  we  spent  the  night  sleeping 
on  a railroad  station  platform.  The  next  morning  we 
reached  Irkutsk.  Then  ten  days  on  the  Siberian  railway 
brought  us  to  Moscow.  A Government  permit  granted 
us  a special  car,  new,  clean  and  commodious.  We  left 
our  Swedish  companions  in  St.  Petersburg,  and  came  via 
Berlin  and  London  to  New  York,  where  we  arrived  No- 
vember 8th,  after  travelling  more  than  four  months. 

It  was  a special  providence  that  we  were  driven  out 
of  China  in  the  summer,  for,  exposed  as  we  were  to  the 
weather  day  and  night,  on  the  table-land  of  Mongolia, 
and  in  the  high  latitudes  of  Siberia,  we  should  have  suf- 
fered terribly  from  the  cold  at  any  other  season.  A Rus- 
sian friend,  on  hearing  about  our  journey,  said:  “Your 
guardian  angels  have  come  with  you  all  the  way.”  Not 
only  during  our  flight,  but  also  afterward,  as  we  have 
learned  of  the  many  deaths  of  missionaries  in  China,  we 
have  realized  that  God  himself  was  leading  us  and  fulfill- 
ing his  gracious  promise : “ My  presence  shall  go  with 

thee,  and  I will  give  thee  rest.” 

The  Rev.  J.  W.  Stevenson,  Director  of  the  China 
Inland  Mission,  compiled  the  following  list  of  the  Protes- 


648 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


tant  Missionaries  who  were  killed,  or  who  died  from 
injuries  received  during  the  Boxer  uprising  of  1899  and 
1900;  the  societies  with  which  they  were  connected;  the 
provinces  in  which  they  were  located ; and  their 
nationality : 


SOCIETY. 

Adults. 

Children. 

Total. 

China  Inland  Mission 

58 

21 

79 

Christian  and  Missionary  Alliance 

21 

IS 

36 

American  Board 

13 

5 

18 

English  Baptist  Mission 

13 

3 

l6 

Shou  Yang  Mission 

II 

2 

13 

American  Presbyterian,  North 

5 

3 

8 

Scandinavian  Alliance  Mongolian  Mission 

5 

.... 

5 

Swedish  Mongolian  Mission 

3 

I 

4 

Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel 

3 

.... 

3 

British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society 

2 

3 

5 

Unconnected,  Mr.  A.  Hoddle 

1 

.... 

I 

135 

53 

188 

PROVINCE. 

Shansi  and  over  the  Mongolian  Border. . . 
Chihli  

113 

13 

8 

46 

4 

159 

17 

11 

Chekiang 

3 

Shantung 

I 

— 

I 

135 

53 

188 

NATIONALITY. 


7i 

40 

29 

l6 

IOO 

Swedish 

56 

United  States 

24 

8 

32 

135 

53 

188 

1901.  Rev.  J.  Stonehouse,  London  Mission 

I 

I 

136 

189 

NOTABLE  EXPERIENCES  649 

List  of  Roman  Catholic  Bishops,  priests,  and  nuns 
killed  in  1900: 


PROVINCE. 

Men. 

Women. 

Manchuria  

IO 

2 

Shansi 

c 

7 

Mongolia 

Chihli 

7 

A 

Hunan  

2 

Peking 

7 

35 

9 

N.  B.  — This  list  is  probably  not  entirely  complete. 


XXXIV 


CATASTROPHE  TO  THE  NATIVE  CHURCH 

THE  number  of  Protestant  Christians  in  China  at 
the  beginning  of  the  Boxer  movement,  by  which 
is  meant  actual  members  of  churches,  was  esti- 
mated to  be  somewhat  more  than  one  hundred  thou- 
sand. To  this  should  be  added  three  or  four  times  as 
many  more  who  came  under  the  general  name  of  adher- 
ents, denoting  those  who,  while  not  yet  baptized,  were 
either  members  of  families  where  the  leading  elements 
were  Christian,  or  were  themselves  favorably  disposed 
to  the  new  faith.  It  is  from  this  class  that  converts  are 
perpetually  recruited.  The  membership  of  the  Roman 
Catholics,  usually  reckoned  by  families,  was  several  times 
as  numerous,  that  faith  having  been  in  China  for  many 
centuries.  In  each  case  these  Christians  were  distributed 
over  a large  part  of  the  Empire,  the  number  of  Prot- 
estants in  Manchuria  being  much  larger  than  elsewhere. 

While  there  are  among  these  communities  some  who 
are  wealthy,  or  rather  in  a small  way  well-to-do,  by  far 
the  larger  number  of  them  come  from  the  farming  and 
the  working  classes.  In  China,  as  in  the  land  of  its 
birth,  it  has  always  been  true  that  “ to  the  poor  the  gos- 
pel is  preached,”  and  considering  the  hopes  which  this 
faith  enkindles,  and  the  barrenness  of  the  average  Chinese 
life,  this  is  not  singular. 

It  is  a capital  error  to  suppose  that  there  are  in  the 
Chinese  churches  any  considerable  number  of  those  who 

650 


CATASTROPHE  TO  NATIVE  CHURCH  651 


join  them  from  unworthy  motives,  for  what  they  can 
get.  Of  the  Protestant  churches  at  least  we  can  speak 
upon  this  point  from  full  knowledge.  The  Chinese  are 
excellent  judges  of  character,  and  in  such  a condensed 
society  it  is  impossible  that  the  main  facts  with  regard 
to  every  applicant  should  not  be  well  and  accurately 
known.  Numerous  mistakes  of  judgment  must  of  course 
be  made,  but  missionaries  and  natives  alike  have  learned 
by  long  experience  that  eternal  vigilance  is  the  price  of 
a church  which  will  not  fall  apart  of  its  own  weight,  and 
the  tendency  accordingly  is  continually  toward  a raising  of 
the  standard. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  there  are  always  and 
everywhere  serious  risks  attending  the  identification  of 
any  one  with  a body  like  that  of  the  Christian  church 
in  China,  and  in  the  face  of  the  inevitable  ostracism  the 
advantages  are  too  precarious  to  be  attractive.  Those 
who  had  joined  the  Christians  from  unworthy  motives 
hastened  in  this  last  year  to  cut  loose  as  soon  as  the 
dangers  of  their  connection  became  apparent. 

It  is  important  also  to  bear  in  mind  the  fact  that  in  a 
society  like  that  of  China  it  is  inevitable  that  every 
Christian  should  have  many  enemies.  It  is  a classical 
saying  that  on  entering  a village  one  should  inquire 
its  customs.  In  China  the  first  and  greatest  command- 
ment is  not  to  do  what  others  do  not  do  also,  for  thus 
only  will  the  whole  of  the  Chinese  law  and  the  prophets 
be  fulfilled.  But  the  Chinese  Christian  is  ex  officio  a 
non-conformist.  He  objects  to  ancestral  worship,  which 
is  the  real  religion  of  the  Chinese  race.  He  refuses  to 
subscribe  to  the  erection  of  temples,  to  the  performance 
of  Taoist  and  Buddhist  ceremonies,  and  to  the  village 
theatricals  held  in  honor  of  some  god  or  goddess. 

He  is  at  variance  with  his  family  and  with  his  clan 


652 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


on  occasion  of  every  wedding  and  every  funeral,  and 
weddings  and  funerals  constitute  a large  part  of  the 
earthly  joys  of  the  barren  life  of  the  Chinese.  In  the 
incessant  and  intricate  relations  with  innumerable  indi- 
viduals he  will  have  differences  on  a great  variety  of  sub- 
jects with  a great  variety  of  people,  and  whether  he  is 
himself  at  fault  or  not,  he  will  have  earned  the  ill-will 
of  many  persons.  And  the  Chinese  have  long  memories 
for  grudges  and  spites,  which  are  not  infrequently  carried 
on  from  generation  to  generation,  each  one  patiently 
waiting  until  his  turn  shall  have  come  for  that  revenge 
so  dear  to  the  Chinese,  and  so  strongly  inculcated  in  the 
Classics. 

All  persecutions  of  Christians  in  China  have  within 
them  these  inevitable  elements,  but  this  special  one  dif- 
fered from  all  that  had  gone  before.  Those  were  local 
and  sporadic,  often  secretly  stimulated  by  the  literati,  and 
not  infrequently  by  officials.  This  one  was  an  emana- 
tion direct  from  the  Throne  itself.  Never  had  there 
been  such  an  opportunity  as  was  now  afforded  to  pay 
off  old  scores  with  compound  interest. 

The  social  solidarity  of  China  is  such  that  all  the 
parts  are  more  distinctly  and  exactly  representative  of  tire 
whole  than  perhaps  in  any  other  society  in  the  world. 
When  it  is  remembered  that  the  Chinese  are  deeply 
imbued  with  a profound  respect  for  all  the  forms  of 
authority,  one  gains  a faint  notion  of  what  an  official 
and  especially  an  Imperial  persecution  must  be  in  China, 
far  exceeding  in  its  inherent  momentum  those  of  ancient 
Rome.  The  Chinese  mind  does  not  readily  entertain  the 
conception  of  actual  resistance  to  regularly  appointed 
magistrates.  Every  Chinese  is  unconsciously  something 
of  a fatalist,  and  when  he  is  commanded  by  the  highest 
power  of  which  he  knows  anything  to  do  or  to  forbear 


CATASTROPHE  TO  NATIVE  CHURCH  653 


doing  certain  acts,  he  naturally  regards  it  as  “ the  Will 
of  Heaven,”  and  bends  to  the  storm.  That  all  Chinese 
did  not  behave  thus  in  this  universal  persecution  is  itself 
a phenomenon  to  be  accounted  for,  and  one  which  shows 
that  some  force  absolutely  new  in  Chinese  history  had 
taken  possession  of  many  of  the  Chinese  race. 

The  officials,  some  through  motives  of  the  deepest  hos- 
tility to  Christianity,  and  some  with  a desire  to  save  the 
lives  of  their  subjects,  issued  orders  to  the  Christians 
to  recant,  sometimes  furnishing  tickets  which  should  be 
pasted  over  their  doors,  certifying  that  they  were  no 
longer  members  of  “ the  foreign  religion  ” and  were  thus 
entitled  to  protection.  This  plan  was  in  accordance  with 
an  Imperial  Edict,  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
many  Christians  fell  into  the  cunning  trap  laid  for  them, 
especially  when,  as  in  Shantung,  it  was  accompanied  by 
the  alluring  words  “ temporarily  recant.”  In  Man- 
churia some  of  the  magistrates  hit  upon  the  happy  plan 
of  requiring  the  converts  merely  to  step  over  the  figure 
of  a cross  drawn  upon  the  ground,  which  many  of  them 
hastened  to  do,  glad  to  have  escaped  with  no  worse 
test,  by  no  means  realizing  the  significance  of  what  they 
had  done. 

In  one  marked  instance  in  Shantung,  two  native  pas- 
tors under  great  pressure  took  upon  themselves  the 
responsibility  and  the  sin  of  vicariously  recanting  on  be- 
half of  their  whole  flock,  in  order  to  save  their  lives. 
They  had  not  the  smallest  intention  of  denying  the  faith, 
but  nothing  else  was  to  be  done,  they  thought,  and  it 
was  better  that  two  men  should  incur  guilt  than  that 
the  whole  church  should  do  so. 

The  innumerable  varieties  of  recantation,  actual  and 
merely  nominal,  make  the  problem  of  the  rehabilitation 
of  the  church  in  the  regions  where  it  prevailed  a delicate 


654 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


and  a serious  one.  But  it  should  be  distinctly  recognized 
that  in  all  but  a fraction  of  cases  it  was  regarded  as  only 
a form,  an  error  no  doubt  due  in  many  cases  to  inad- 
equate instruction  on  the  part  of  their  leaders.  Innu- 
merable instances  of  absolute  refusal  to  deny  the  faith 
under  any  circumstances,  especially  among  the  large 
Roman  Catholic  communities,  are  everywhere  reported, 
but  the  case  is  not  fully  set  forth  without  the  distinct 
avowal  that  this  was  by  no  means  the  universal  rule. 

In  some  regions  the  threats  of  the  Boxers  had  been 
heard  for  many,  many  weary  months,  or  perhaps  for 
more  than  a year.  The  poor  Christian  communities  had 
been  living  the  lives  of  isolated  sheep  with  a day  per- 
petually threatened  for  the  advent  of  the  wolves  in  force. 
Is  it  any  wonder  that  at  the  last  many  of  them  fainted 
with  terror  at  the  actuality  so  long  menacing  them,  and 
did  whatever  seemed  to  be  required  to  prevent  their  aged 
parents  from  being  turned  adrift  with  no  home  and  no 
food  ? 

Some  groups  of  Christians  were  pillaged  over  and  over 
again,  while  elsewhere  there  was  nothing  but  rapine  and 
sudden  death,  the  whole  storm  having  passed  over  in  an 
afternoon,  leaving  scarcely  a living  representative  of  the 
hated  faith.  “ Destroy  Christians  root  and  branch,”  was 
i often  the  war-cry,  which  the  Boxers  sought  to  carry  into 
literal  effect  by  killing  not  only  all  human  beings,  but 
every  cat,  dog,  and  chicken  belonging  to  the  homes  of 
Christians,  cutting  down  every  tree,  uprooting  flowers, 
and  laying  waste  the  courts  and  gardens  of  the  ruined 
houses.  In  a room  occupied  by  a refugee  Christian  fam- 
ily, a forlorn  little  kitten  was  pointed  out  to  a lady  vis- 
itor, with  the  remark : “ A whole  village  was  out  all  night 
hunting  for  that  cat.  They  said  that  it  must  be  found 
and  destroyed  or  it  would  bring  calamity  to  the  town. 


CATASTROPHE  TO  NATIVE  CHURCH  655 


It  was  picked  up  and  sent  to  relatives  at  a distance  and 
so  escaped.” 

Never  was  the  prophecy  that  the  foes  of  a man  shall 
be  they  of  his  own  house  more  exactly  fulfilled.  They 
were  themselves  the  spies  and  informants,  whose  precise 
knowledge  nothing  could  escape.  All  human  affection, 
all  social  sympathies  seemed  to  be  dried  up  at  the  roots. 
Daughters  drove  away  their  own  mothers  from  their 
doors,  saying  “ Don't  you  come  in  here,  or  wTe  shall  be 
implicated  too — go  to  your  foreign  friends,  let  them  look 
after  you.”  Even  the  storage  of  books,  or  clothing,  or 
any  article  of  furniture  was  absolutely  forbidden  under 
penalty  of  having  the  house  pulled  down  or  burned.  The 
nearest  neighbors  were  often  the  ones  who  invited  the 
Boxers  to  come,  leading  them  through  the  village  and 
pointing  out  every  door  to  Christian  courts.  Then  when 
the  goods  were  dragged  upon  the  streets  and  sold  for 
next  to  nothing,  these  were  the  ones  who  bought  them  for 
a trifle,  subsequently  reviling  and  taunting  the  owners, 
when  they  crept  back  to  their  desolated  yards,  with  the 
observation  that  there  was  no  more  place  for  them — their 
goods  were  distributed  to  new  owners,  and  their  land 
had  reverted  to  the  village  temples ! 

The  cruelties  of  the  persecutors  found  expression  in  the 
most  hideous  forms.  All  the  barbarities  practiced  upon 
foreigners  were  shared  likewise  by  their  followers.  Men, 
women,  and  children  were  chopped  into  pieces  and  their 
bodies  thrown  into  running  streams  to  be  dispersed  be- 
yond power  of  doing  injury.  Great  numbers  were  burned 
alive,  and  children  were  flung  back  into  the  flames  after 
they  had  once  broken  forth.  Yet  in  one  case  known  to  the 
writer  a lad  who  had  twice  been  bound  and  thrown  into 
the  Grand  Canal,  and  had  each  time  succeeded  in  getting 
free,  was  allowed  to  escape,  because  it  must  be  “ the  Will 


656 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


of  Heaven.”  Unusually  attractive  Christian  children 
were  sometimes  adopted  by  the  Boxers,  or  by  others,  val- 
uable lives  being  thus  saved.  Many  Christian  maidens 
were  sold  to  a life  of  odious  slavery  to  be  the  “ wives  ” 
of  the  Boxers  who  had  killed  all  the  other  members  of 
their  families. 

The  mutilation  of  Christians  may  be  said  in  some 
regions  to  have  been  the  rule,  not  the  exception,  gen- 
erally followed  by  a slow  and  terrible  death.  In  other 
cases  the  joints  of  the  victims  were  dislocated,  and  they 
were  left  in  this  maimed  condition. 

The  writer  was  personally  acquainted  with  a Roman 
Catholic  school  teacher  who  was  persecuted  by  the  Box- 
ers, middlemen  finally  arranging  that  his  life  should  be 
spared  on  payment  of  a fine  of  about  thirty  (Mexican) 
dollars.  His  father,  however,  begrudged  the  waste  of  so 
much  money,  and  together  with  another  son  and  a nephew 
tied  up  the  son  and  his  wife  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
and  killed  them  with  a sword,  their  little  girl  being 
thrown  on  the  ground  and  stamped  to  death.  Two  small 
boys,  however,  made  their  escape.  The  people  of  the  vil- 
lage, who  had  no  sympathy  whatever  with  Christianity, 
were  so  incensed  at  this  inhumanity  that  they  refused  to 
assist  in  any  way  at  the  funeral. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  in  many  places  the  bitterest 
animosity  extended  even  to  those  who  had  been  treated  in 
mission  dispensaries,  or  whose  connection  with  foreigners 
had  been  only  temporary  and  casual.  In  cases  where 
the  number  of  those  killed  was  large,  sometimes  amount- 
ing to  quite  half  of  the  total  membership,  there  was  an 
additional  percentage  of  those  who  thus  suffered  vica- 
riously. There  were,  on  the  other  hand,  some  who  while 
not  members  of  the  church,  nor  even  probationers,  yet 
refused  to  renounce  its  teachings,  thus  forming  an 


CATASTROPHE  TO  NATIVE  CHURCH  657 


exoteric  band  of  martyrs  whose  number  will  never  be 
known. 

Attention  was  early  called  to  the  important  fact  that 
in  many  places  where  the  Chinese  Church  was  about  to 
be  tested  as  never  before,  special  strength  was  afforded 
them  for  the  coming  conflict.  In  Peking,  T’ung  Chou, 
and  Tientsin,  earnest  meetings  had  recently  been  held, 
at  which  large  numbers  of  the  leading  members  of  many 
churches  had  been  brought  near  to  God,  and  a similar 
experience  was  that  of  many  mission  stations  in  Shansi 
and  Chihli  which  had  been  visited  by  Mr.  William 
Cooper.  Numbers  of  Christians  afterwards  testified  that 
they  had  been  thus  unconsciously  fortified  for  the  terri- 
ble trials  which  proved  to  be  so  near. 

The  natural  timidity  and  the  clannishness  of  the  Chi- 
nese is  well  known  to  those  who  have  had  intimate  rela- 
tions with  them.  It  has  been  previously  mentioned  that 
both  in  Tientsin  and  in  Peking  the  greater  part  of  the 
servants  in  every  foreign  establishment  disappeared  in 
a body  upon  the  prospect  of  danger.  It  is  important  to 
recognize  that  the  reverse  was  the  case  with  the  Chris- 
tians, not  merely  where  their  safety  was  bound  up  with 
that  of  foreigners,  but  where  they  might,  but  for  their 
fidelity,  have  easily  escaped. 

The  most  impressive  instances  of  this  are  to  be  found 
where  the  peril  to  Chinese  Christians  was  greatest,  in  the 
province  of  Shansi,  where  the  Governor  had  given  formal 
authority  to  Boxers  to  kill  all  Christians,  and  where  any 
one  found  writing  letters  to  foreigners  was  slain  with- 
out mercy.  The  foreign  letters  from  those  who  were 
martyred  in  that  province,  continued  in  some  cases  to 
within  a few  hours  before  death  and  concealed  at  great 
risk  by  their  converts,  furnish  the  most  ample  evidence 
of  the  beautiful  loyalty  of  the  Christians,  and  of  their 


658 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


fearful  trials.  In  every  mission  headquarters  the  first 
quest  was  for  the  mission  records,  that  the  names  of  all 
the  followers  of  the  “ foreign  religion  ” might  be  cer- 
tainly known.  When  these  were  discovered  it  went  ill 
with  the  flock. 

In  repeated  instances  servants  who  had  been  sent  away 
for  their  own  safety  returned  on  the  eve  of  a riot,  saying 
simply : “ I heard  that  you  were  to  be  attacked  to-night, 
and  I thought  that  I ought  to  be  here  to  help  you.” 
Many  of  them  voluntarily  served  as  couriers  at  the  immi- 
nent risk  of  their  lives,  not  once  or  twice,  but  constantly, 
and  in  this  way  it  is  known  that  many  were  killed.  When 
the  missionaries  had  been  robbed  of  everything,  the  poor 
Christians  sometimes  offered  to  them  their  own  scanty 
hordes  of  silver  or  cash,  saying  that  it  was  but  right  to 
do  something  for  those  to  whom  they  owed  so  much,  “ As 
long  as  I have  anything,”  said  one  such,  “ of  course  I 
will  share  it  with  you.”  Many  Christians  offered  to  find 
hiding-places  for  the  foreign  pastors  and  the  ladies,  at 
the  greatest  risk  to  themselves,  and  others  undertook 
the  yet  more  difficult  office  of  acting  as  their  travelling 
stewards  during  their  long  and  dangerous  flight  through 
hostile  regions. 

Some  of  the  prominent  preachers  were  intrusted  by  the 
missionaries  with  large  sums  of  money,  to  be  sent  to 
whomsoever  appeared  to  be  in  the  greatest  need.  One  of 
them  thus  became  the  steward'  of  about  two  hundred 
pounds  sterling,  which  at  no  little  risk  to  himself  he  dis- 
bursed with  great  discretion,  in  such  a way  as  to  assist 
materially  many  missionaries  who  had  lost  everything, 
and  who  had  no  resources.  An  instance  of  this  sort 
is  of  great  weight  as  an  aid  in  estimating  the  real  char- 
acter of  the  men  who  have  embraced  Christianity,  and 
who  are  at  once  its  apostles  and  its  proof. 


CATASTROPHE  TO  NATIVE  CHURCH  659 


It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  reports  brought  to  the  coast 
of  the  experiences  of  the  foreigners  in  the  interior,  while 
greatly  doubted  at  the  time  by  some,  afterwards  proved 
to  be  exact  even  in  details,  and  at  the  same  time  there  was 
no  apparent  disposition  on  the  part  of  those  who  had 
helped  foreigners  under  these  circumstances  to  pose  as 
heroes.  In  a letter  brought  to  light  many  months  after 
the  massacre  of  the  English  Baptist  missionaries  at  Hsin 
Chou,  Shansi,  was  known,  it  appeared  that  the  Boxers 
had  captured  one  of  the  leading  Christians  and  had 
taken  him  to  the  hiding-place  of  the  missionaries  that  he 
might  witness  their  death.  With  the  certainty  of  imme- 
diate retribution  this  Christian  uttered  a loud  cry  of  warn- 
ing to  his  “ Pastor,”  and  was  immediately  himself  struck 
with  a spear  or  sword  as  a reward. 

An  evangelist  and  his  family  were  all  dragged  from 
their  carts  in  a Honan  village,  and  their  baggage  being 
thought  insufficient  for  loot,  they  were  all,  men  and 
women,  stripped  of  all  their  clothing  and  left  naked  in 
the  street. 

The  manner  in  which  the  Christians  met  these  terrible 
sufferings  was  a perpetual  astonishment  to  their  tor- 
mentors. They  could  not  understand  what  inspired  the 
calm  courage  of  the  tall  and  stalwart  Teacher  Liu  of 
Fen  Chou  Fu,  who  sat  calmly  in  his  room  fanning  him- 
self and  awaiting  the  advent  of  the  Boxers,  who  killed 
him  instantly;  nor  that  of  the  Peking  deacon  who  put  on 
his  best  clothes  and  went  out  to  meet  them  joyously, 
facing  death  with  a smile.  Was  it  any  wonder  that 
the  Boxers  in  their  superstition  cut  out  the  hearts  of  such 
people  to  endeavour  by  an  inspection  to  ascertain  the 
source  of  their  more  than  human  courage? 

The  belief  that  Christians  were  able  to  poison  wells, 
and  to  turn  paper  images  into  real  foreign  soldiers,  was 


66o 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


practically  universal,  and  accounted  for  much  of  the 
insensate  fury  of  the  Chinese  against  them.  The  notion 
also  widely  prevailed  that  within  three  days  they  would 
rise  from  the  dead,  unless  energetic  steps  were  taken  to 
prevent  it.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  so  many  were  cut 
in  pieces,  and  burned,  in  exceptional  cases  the  ashes  being 
passed  under  stone  rollers  and  dispersed  to  the  winds. 
The  same  superstition  also  accounted  for  the  entirely 
un-Chinese  refusal  to  allow  the  bodies  of  Christians  to 
receive  any  kind  of  burial.  A convert  in  Peking  several 
times  passed  the  corpse  of  his  own  mother  lying  in  the 
street  where  she  was  struck  down,  but  he  dared  not  touch 
it. 

The  question  has  been  often  raised  as  to  what  the  mis- 
sionaries in  China  are  doing,  and  what  are  the  results 
of  their  work.  They  have  been  criticized  as  “ idle  and 
mischievous,”  but  now  that  the  Boxer  rising  has  burst 
we  are  told  that  “ they  have  turned  the  world  upside 
down.”  The  statement  is  most  literally  true.  The 
nature  of  the  totally  new  energy  widely  diffused  through- 
out the  Chinese  Empire  may  now  be  clearly  perceived. 
It  is  one  with  the  life  manifested  in  the  Roman  Empire 
in  the  days  briefly  described  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
and  it  is  the  only  force  adequate  to  cope  with  the  gigantic 
ills  of  China.  This  proposition,  to  those  who  read  the 
story  of  the  sufferings  of  the  native  church  in  China  dis- 
criminatingly, will  be  self-evident,  while  to  others  it  will 
remain  an  idle  claim. 

The  interest  of  the  appended  instances  of  the  expe- 
riences of  Christian  Chinese  is  found  not  only  in  the 
occurrences  themselves,  but  in  the  fact  that  these  are  such 
cases  as  have  first  come  to  hand,  and  that  it  would  be 
possible  to  duplicate  them  by  the  thousand,  until  the 
aggregate  product  would  be  a series  of  volumes  exceeding 


CATASTROPHE  TO  NATIVE  CHURCH  661 


in  bulk  the  Encyclopedia  Britannica.  These  narratives 
need  no  other  comment  than  a few  explanations  of  techni- 
cal terms,  and  bear  within  themselves  the  evidences  of 
their  fidelity  to  truth. 

Attention  has  already  been  called  to  the  fact  that  the 
spread  of  the  Boxer  movement  was  largely  through 
young  boys  who  were  put  under  the  influence  of  some- 
thing like  hypnotism,  or  mesmerism.  The  proportion  of 
genuine  subjects  may  have  been  small  as  compared  with 
the  spurious,  but  the  influence  of  a single  genuine  case  in 
a superstitious  country  like  China  would  be  great,  where 
education,  despite  the  claim  of  many  influential  Chinese, 
is  no  bar  to  the  wildest  credulity. 

In  many  places,  the  baneful  effects  of  the  movement 
became  manifest  to  everyone,  and  often  brought  the  whole 
Boxer  propaganda  into  discredit.  In  one  instance  a lad 
of  fifteen  was  so  filled  with  the  frenzy  for  murder  that 
he  attacked  his  own  parents,  an  event  which  filled  the 
villagers  with  horror,  and  led  to  the  disbandment  of  the 
Boxer  camp.  Sometimes  susceptible  children  would  be 
so  strongly  affected  with  the  impulse  to  perform  the 
Boxer  drill  that  they  would  go  through  with  it  irre- 
spective of  time  or  place.  These  occurrences  made  many 
reflective  Chinese  dread  the  unknown  influence  which  they 
had  evoked.  When  all  the  phenomena  attending  the 
Boxer  development  are  attentively  considered,  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  many  will  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  if  there  is  any  such  phenomenon  in  this  world  as 
“ Demon  Possession,”  this  was  an  instance  of  it. 

The  frequent  expression  “ Boxer  altar,”  it  should  be 
explained,  does  not  refer  to  a place  of  worship,  a pile  of 
stone,  nor  even  a table,  but  denotes  the  organization  itself, 
the  band  as  a whole,  with  its  “ Great  Elder  Brother  ” as 
leader,  as  well  as  the  drill  headquarters,  and  the  idol 


662 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


shrines  before  which  tests  were  made  by  burning  incense 
or  paper.  If  the  latter  flamed  high  the  accused  was  in- 
nocent, but  if  the  flame  was  feeble  and  deflected  he  was 
guilty  and  must  be  beheaded  at  once.  The  opportunity 
for  fraud  in  all  these  ceremonies  is  obvious. 

Among  the  many  singular  phenomena  connected  with 
the  rise  and  spread  of  the  Boxer  sect,  nothing  seems 
stranger  or  more  in  defiance  of  Chinese  customs  and  the 
ideals  of  long  generations  than  the  accompanying  organ- 
ization of  the  “ Hung  Teng  Chou  ” or  “ Red  Lantern 
Light  ” society.  This  was  composed  of  young  girls  be- 
tween the  ages  of  ten  and  twenty,  just  the  age  when 
Chinese  maidens  are  most  carefully  hidden  in  the  seclu- 
sion of  their  homes, — when  to  go  about  in  the  streets 
would  be  in  defiance  of  the  proprieties,  and  to  be  exposed 
to  public  gaze  would  be  for  rich  and  poor  alike  disrepu- 
table. 

These  girls  in  large  companies  were  taken  to  the  tem- 
ples, put  under  the  low  and  vicious  men  who  were  the 
Boxer  leaders,  and  after  a certain  amount  of  drill  accom- 
panied Boxer  bands  in  their  public  parades.  Their  uni- 
form was  entirely  of  red,  red  cloth  about  their  heads,  red 
shoes  on  their  feet,  red  banners  in  their  hands.  Their 
training  was  similar  to  that  given  Boxer  boys,  the  repeti- 
tion of  charms  by  the  leader,  who  was  sometimes  a man, 
sometimes  a woman,— following  this  the  hypnotic  trance, 
then  a frenzy  of  desire  to  fight  with  sword  or  spear  or 
gun. 

The  special  power  said  to  belong  to  these  girls  was  to 
ride  upon  the  clouds  and  to  point  out  the  houses  of  for- 
eigners or  their  friends,  Christians  or  others.  From  the 
clouds  they  could  kindle  a fire  that  would  harm  none  but 
those  proscribed.  From  the  clouds,  too,  they  could  cause 
the  iron  battle-ships  of  the  enemy  to  burn  like  tinder. 


CATASTROPHE  TO  NATIVE  CHURCH  663 


During  the  weeks  when  riots  and  fighting  were  most 
violent,  towards  evening  hundreds  of  ignorant,  credulous 
people  would  gather  outside  their  villages  and  watch  the 
sun  hastening  to  the  west.  The  impression  upon  the 
retina  caused  by  gazing  at  its  disc,  causing  a round  red 
spot  to  appear  whenever  the  eye  should  turn,  was  pro- 
nounced the  magic  light  of  the  “ Red  Lantern,”  and 
excited  cries  of  “ There  are  two  1 ” “I  see  three  ! ” 
“ There  are  a great  many  in  the  north ! ” would  fill  the 
air.  Then  when  the  evening  clouds  gave  back  the  sun- 
set glow,  this  common  sight  took  on  the  aspect  of  the 
supernatural,  and  the  people  would  whisper  to  each  other 
“Truly  the  power  of  the  Red  Lantern  is  very  great! 
With  it  we  must  conquer  the  foreigners ! ” 

These  stories  of  Chinese  persecution  may  fitly  con- 
clude with  the  citation  of  a significant  testimony  in 
regard  to  the  relative  qualities  of  the  Chinese  Christians, 
from  a paper  read  at  the  Newcastle  Church  Con- 
gress, by  the  most  accomplished  lady  traveller  of  the 
day,  Mrs.  Isabella  Bird  Bishop,  who  began  her  ex- 
tended journeying  with  little  or  no  interest  in  mis- 
sions, and  who  has  ended  with  a sincere  devotion  to  mis- 
sion activity,  after  having  enjoyed  unequalled  advantages 
for  learning  at  first  hand  what  is  accomplished  by 
the  effort  to  elevate  the  men  and  the  women  of 
the  East. 

“ Everywhere  small,  oft-times  very  small  commu- 
nities of  persons  had  been  formed,  who  by  their  aban- 
donment of  ancestral  worship  and  idolatrous  social  cus- 
toms were  subjected  to  a social  ostracism,  and  who  partly 
in  consequence  clung  together  as  brethren,  with  a tenac- 
ity similar  to  that  which  finds  its  secular  expression  in 
the  powerful  Chinese  organizations  known  as  ‘ guilds.’ 
These  converts  live  pure  and  honest  lives,  they  are  teach- 


664 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


able,  greedy  of  Bible  knowledge,  generous  and  self- 
denying  for  Christian  purposes,  and  so  anxious  to  pre- 
serve the  purity  of  their  brotherhood  that  it  would  be 
impossible  for  such  abuses  as  disfigured  the  Church  at 
Corinth  to  find  a place  in  the  infant  churches  of  China. 
Above  all,  every  true  convert  becomes  a missionary,  and 
it  is  in  this  spirit  of  propagandism  that  the  hope  of  the 
future  lies.  After  eight  and  a half  years  of  journeyings 
among  Asiatic  peoples,  I say  unhesitatingly  that  the 
raw  material  out  of  which  the  Holy  Ghost  fashions  the 
Chinese  convert,  and  oft-times  the  Chinese  martyr,  is  the 
best  stuff  in  Asia.” 


XXXV 


■personal  narratives 
Kao  Hsin 

KAO  HSIN  is  a graduate  of  College  and  Seminary, 
and  has  been  in  charge  of  the  preparatory  sta- 
tion school  at  T’ung  Chou.  This  was  closed  at 
mission  meeting  time  and  after  the  meeting  he  went  to 
his  home  fifteen  li  away.  In  a few  days  he  came  back 
to  learn  of  the  condition  of  things.  He  found  only  one 
man,  Mr.  Lin,  in  the  city  compound,  who  told  him  that 
the  missionaries  had  gone  to  Peking,  and  the  church 
members  had  scattered,  and  advised  him  to  get  his  family 
and  follow  to  Peking. 

While  they  were  speaking,  a man  came  from  Yung  Le 
Tien  and  told  them  of  the  murder  of  the  preacher  Li  Te 
Kuei  while  making  his  escape  with  his  wife  and  three  of 
his  children.  His  three  older  children  were  pupils  in 
T’ung  Chou  and  Peking  schools.  Mrs.  Li  was  Kao’s  own 
sister.  She  had  pleaded  for  her  baby  as  it  was  such  a 
fine  boy.  The  Boxers  looked  at  it  and  said : “ Yes ! un- 
commonly fine ! It  might  be  an  Emperor  some  day,  it 
must  be  killed  first.”  So  they  dispatched  the  children, 
hacking  them  with  swords  and  burning  them.  They 
killed  at  the  same  time  several  church  members  who 
were  escaping  with  the  helper. 

As  Mr.  Kao  was  starting  back  for  his  home  he  met  a 
messenger  from  P’ing  Ku  Hsien,  where  Deacon  Li  Wen 

665 


666 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Jung  was  stationed,  forty  miles  from  T'ung  Chou.  He 
had  come  to  bring  word  to  the  deacon’s  mother  that  her 
son  was  ill  with  fever  and  the  invalid  wife  unable 
to  care  for  him,  and  to  beg  for  help.  After  directing 
the  man  to  the  deacon's  mother's  home,  Mr.  Kao  went 
back  to  Fu  He,  his  home. 

About  dark,  tbe  P’ing  Ku  messenger  reappeared  say- 
ing there  was  no  one  to  go  to  the  deacon’s  help.  Mr. 
Kao  had  told  his  family  about  the  fate  of  the  Christians 
at  Yung  Le  Tien  and  other  places  and  consulted  with 
them  about  plans  for  escape.  His  mother,  an  efficient 
energetic  woman,  said : “ We  are  all  natives  of  this  vil- 
lage and  our  neighbours  will  not  want  to  harm  us  women. 
You  and  your  nephew  go  to  P’ing  Ku  where  there  are 
no  Boxers,  and  you  will  be  safe  yourselves  and  able  to 
help  the  sick  deacon  and  his  family.  We  will  scatter 
among  our  relatives  in  the  village  and  I will  stay  and 
care  for  the  house.” 

Mr.  Kao  begged  that  they  all  go  to  Peking,  but  she 
thought  her  plan  the  safer  one.  His  feelings  overcame 
him  and  she  said : “ Don’t  cry  my  son ! Can  we  not 

bear  this  for  Christ?  If  Jesus  saves  us  we  will  be  re- 
united. If  we  are  taken  we  die  for  Him.  Can  we  not 
trust  Him?  Go  quickly!  ” 

She  prepared  them  a meal,  and  at  eleven  o’clock  at 
night  Mr.  Kao  and  his  nephew,  the  eldest  son  of  the 
murdered  helper  Li  Te  Kuei,  set  out,  a neighbour  going 
with  them  to  bring  back  word  to  the  mother. 

They  reached  P’ing  Ku  the  next  day  at  noon,  and 
found  the  deacon's  wife  in  distress  at  the  situation, — her 
husband  ill,  and  no  cart  or  animals  to  be  hired  to  take 
them  back  to  T’ung  Chou.  She  had  been  praying  that 
God  would  open  the  way  before  them.  Mr.  Kao  advised 
them  to  remain  as  it  was  quiet  there,  and  if  it  grew 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES  66 7 

dangerous  the  mountains  were  near  where  they  could 
hide. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday  and  the  little  company  of 
Christians  gathered  for  service.  One  from  a hamlet  not 
far  away  in  the  hills  consented  to  let  Mrs.  Li  and  the 
children  go  to  his  home,  though  they  had  only  millet  and 
salt  and  water  to  give  her.  They  stole  out  in  the  early 
morning,  Mrs.  Li  walking  some  distance  to  meet  the  don- 
key sent  for  her.  After  seeing  her  safe  in  the  new  hid- 
ing place  Mr.  Kao  and  the  sick  husband  returned  to 
P'ing  Ku  where  they  remained  another  week. 

Conditions  grew  worse  all  the  time.  The  evil  reports 
about  Christians  as  poisoning  wells  and  smearing  blood 
on  the  doors  were  started  in  the  city.  They  were  threat- 
ened with  being  bound  ready  for  delivery  to  the  Boxers 
when  these  should  reach  the  city.  A friendly  yamen- 
runner  told  them  these  things  and  advised  them  to  leave, 
giving  the  name  of  friends,  one  forty  and  one  eighty  li 
away.  Kir.  Kao  and  his  nephew  decided  to  go.  Deacon 
Li  at  first  remained  behind  but  soon  joined  his  wife  and 
started  on  his  own  long  wanderings.  ' They  were  sepa- 
rated from  that  time  on. 

The  first  man  mentioned  would  only  give  them  one 
meal  and  sent  them  on.  After  going  a short  distance  they 
were  in  the  mountain  gorges  with  no  plain  road.  Bewil- 
dered and  knowing  not  where  to  go,  they  stopped  and 
prayed  to  God  to  guide,  where  there  was  no  man  to  ask. 
Two  crows  flew  overhead  and  they  asked  that  they  might 
fly  in  the  direction  they  ought  to  take.  They  flew  north- 
east. This  took  them  back  to  their  unwilling  host,  whom 
they  begged  to  escort  them  a few  li.  He  was  afrakl  and 
refused,  but  a caller  came  in  who  lived  on  that  very  road, 
and  he  offered  to  direct  them. 

It  was  cloudy  and  threatened  rain  and  they  begged  this 


668 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


guide  to  take  them  to  his  home  for  the  night.  He  did 
so  and  they  had  hardly  entered  the  house  when  the  rain 
fell  in  torrents.  For  ten  days  they  remained  there  work- 
ing hard  for  their  board.  They  had  said  that  they  were 
Christians,  so  that  when,  soon  after,  a Boxer  altar  was 
started  there,  the  wife  of  the  man  was  frightened  and 
wanted  them  to  go,  giving  them  money  to  help  them  on 
their  way. 

The  nephew  was  homesick  and  begged  to  return  to 
their  home.  They  started  back,  but  in  a few  li  met  Yang 
Erh,  a chair-bearer  for  a member  of  the  T'ung  Chou 
Mission.  He  had  been  to  P’ing  Ku  twice  as  messenger, 
but  was  now  fleeing  for  his  own  life.  He  told  how  he 
had  been  pursued  by  Boxers  and  had  seen  them  cut  down 
others  on  the  road,  and  said  that  neither  T’ung  Chou  nor 
Tientsin  were  safe  for  any  Christians. 

Mr.  Kao  and  his  nephew  with  Yang  Erh  turned  back 
to  the  north-east  and  went  on  outside  the  pass.  The  wild 
rumours  about  Christians  were  everywhere,  and  believed 
by  everyone.  The  rumours  said  that  the  Christians 
smeared  blood  on  the  doors,  which  would  make  some  one 
in  the  household  go  crazy,  and  kill  all  the  family ; that 
they  poisoned  wells  so  that  the  water  would  destroy  those 
who  drank  it ; that  foreigners  were  selling  sheep-skins 
and  goat-skins  and  would  later  turn  them  all  into  live 
sheep  and  dogs  and  men.  The  sheep  would  hunt  people 
and  destroy  the  crops,  the  dogs  would  bite  people  and 
make  them  go  mad,  but  the  men  were  worst  of  all  as  they 
could  not  be  conquered.  If  these  sheep  or  dogs  or  men 
were  struck  they  turned  back  into  sheep-skins  or  goat- 
skins. The  great  trade  of  foreigners  in  black  pig's  bris- 
tles was  said  to  be  for  the  purpose  of  performing  incan- 
tations over  them,  by  which  they  would  turn  into  evil  in- 
sects that  would  fly  about  and  bite  like  a mosquito,  the  bite 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES  669 

proving  fatal.  The  Boxers  claimed  that  they  alone  could 
avert  all  these  evils. 

No  one  was  allowed  to  stay  at  an  inn,  as  it  was  said 
that  foreigners  hired  beggars,  fortune-tellers,  travelling 
priests  and  peddlers  to  scatter  blood  and  medicine.  Every 
suspicious  stranger  was  searched.  If  any  bottle  was 
found  on  his  person  they  were  sure  it  was  medicine  and 
the  man  was  at  once  cut  to  pieces. 

It  was  necessary  to  appear  unconcerned  and  walk  boldly 
to  the  crowds  or  inns  as  any  attempt  to  avoid  notice  at 
once  awoke  suspicion.  They  must  have  a reasonable 
explanation  for  their  journeying,  so  they  gave  as  a 
reason  that  they  were  going  north  in  search  of  a debtor 
who  had  owed  his  uncle  a debt  to  get  payment  for  the 
same.  As  they  several  times  got  work  for  a few  days  in 
the  fields,  they  could  say  that  they  were  searching  for  work 
on  account  of  drought  on  the  plain.  The  poppy  harvest 
was  ready  for  the  first  slashing  of  the  seed-pods,  and 
many  came  every  year  to  do  this  work. 

At  one  stage  they  joined  a traveller  who  proved  most 
kind  to  them,  took  them  to  his  village,  found  work  for 
them  with  a rich  man  of  the  place,  cared  for  Mr.  Kao 
during  several  days’  illness  and  adopted  him  and  Yang 
Erh  as  “ sworn  brothers  ” and  the  nephew  as  a “ dry 
son.”  His  kindness  was  the  bright  spot  in  the  long, 
sorrowful  summer. 

While  at  this  man’s  village,  word  came  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  everything  foreign  in  Peking  except  the  British 
Legation  and  the  Cathedral,  and  with  a heavy  heart  Mr. 
Kao  thought  of  all  his  fellow  Christians  as  gone.  At  last 
the  news  of  the  victories  of  the  Allies  in  Peking  reached 
them  in  the  mountains  and  they  started  back  for  the 
plains. 

Not  far  from  his  old  home  Kao  Hsin  met  an  acquain- 


670 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


tance  who  exclaimed  on  seeing  him,  “ Why  are  you 
here ! ” “I  want  to  see  my  home  and  my  family ! ” 
“Alas!  You  have  no  home  to  see  and  your  fam- 
ily are  all  dead,  killed  by  the  Boxers.”  Then  the 
dreadful  details  were  told  of  how  his  mother  was 
cut  to  pieces,  all  his  children  but  one  little  deaf 
girl  killed  with  his  wife,  all  the  Christians  of  the 
village,  with  nearly  all  of  their  relatives,  more  than  thirty 
in  all,  killed  in  most  cruel  ways.  The  aged  grandmother, 
over  eighty-four  years  old,  was  a mid-wife  and  nearly  all 
the  villagers  up  to  forty  years  of  age  had  been  brought 
into  the  world  by  her — so  many  begged  for  her  and  she 
was  spared.  “ One  old  woman  and  one  little  girl  can  do 
nothing  to  avenge  those  killed ! ” they  said  contempt- 
uously. They  had  searched  everywhere  for  Kao  Hsin, 
but  said  he  was  a wizard  of  such  power  he  could  bur- 
row in  the  earth  and  escape.  They  feared  he  would  come 
with  an  earthquake  to  destroy  them. 

Mr.  Kao  had  travelled  thirty  miles  that  day  and  had 
six  more  to  go.  He  staggered  on  almost  sleeping  as  he 
walked.  At  last  he  crawled  under  a mat  shed  in  which 
were  dead  bodies  and  tried  to  sleep  a little,  but  was 
awakened  every  little  while  by  firing  guns  and  barking 
dogs.  At  daylight  some  Russian  soldiers  impressing 
workmen  found  them  and  drove  them  to  some  boats  to 
unload  supplies.  There  was  a motley  crowd  of  coolies, 
merchants,  teachers,  rich  men,  poor  men — all  kinds  in  the 
line.  Their  burdens  were  heavy  and  if  they  did  not 
handle  them  just  right  they  were  beaten.  Kao  Hsin  felt 
the  lash  because  he  dropped  a box  too  quickly.  After  a 
supper  he  slept  on  the  wet  ground  with  no  bedding. 

The  next  day  he  was  harnessed  in  with  some  men  to 
drag  cannon  over  the  stone  road  outside  the  city  near 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


671 


to  the  ruins  of  the  college.  One  man  fell,  the  wheel  ran 
over  his  leg  and  broke  it.  Another,  who  thought  such  a 
life  too  bitter  to  endure,  jumped  into  the  moat  as  they 
went  over  the  bridge  and  was  drowned.  That  night  they 
were  well  fed  and  given  dry  clothes.  After  a little  they 
were  better  treated,  were  given  three  meals  a day  and 
paid  ten  cents  besides. 

He  remained  a month  in  all,  thinking  the  Christians  all 
dead  and  himself  the  sole  survivor  and  that  the  mission- 
aries would  all  have  been  sent  home.  So  he  made  no 
effort  to  get  away.  One  day  he  met  a T’ung  Chou  church 
member  on  the  streets  and  learned  the  good  news  that 
many  were  saved.  His  presence  in  T’ung  Chou  was  re- 
ported to  the  Mission  in  Peking  and  he  was  soon  passed 
over  to  the  Americans  and  sent  up  to  the  Capital. 

Deacon  Li 

To  find  a Christian  in  a Chinese  yamen  reminds  one 
of  the  “ saints  in  Nero’s  household.”  Yet  it  was  in 
such  a place  that  Li  Yiin  Sheng  was  converted,  and  it 
was  in  pursuing  the  duties  of  that  place  that  he  led  for 
twelve  years  a consistent  Christian  life.  He  was  known 
as  a man  faithful  to  duty,  one  who  took  no  bribes  and 
shared  no  “ spoils  of  office.”  He  had  the  respect  of  the 
official  in  T’ung  Chou  and  of  his  associates  in  the 
yamen.  Such  a man  was  a shining  mark  for  the  malig- 
nity of  the  Boxers.  He  had  seen  the  burning  of  the  Mis- 
sion buildings  and  boldly  denounced  the  deed.  “ Your 
punishment  will  come,”  he  said,  “ and  these  buildings  will 
be  restored.”  When  the  massacres  began,  the  official  at 
the  head  of  the  yamen  took  Mr.  Li  under  his  own  pro- 
tection and  found  a small,  retired  room  where  he  was 


672 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


hidden.  When  the  Boxers  came  to  the  yamen  and  de- 
manded the  Christian  in  hiding,  they  refused  to  give 
him  up. 

At  last  the  Boxers,  who  had  no  respect  for  dignitaries, 
broke  into  the  yamen  and  began  a search.  Mr.  Li  was 
taken  by  the  official’s  command  into  the  apartments  of  the 
women.  But  the  Boxers  penetrated  to  that  court  and 
soon  found  their  victim.  He  was  dragged  out  and  taken 
to  an  altar  near  by,  where  they  put  him  to  death.  His 
wife  was  a very  timid  woman  and  when  she  heard  of  her 
husband’s  death  she  went  to  a pit  of  water  not  far  away, 
leading  her  little  daughter,  and  the  two  plunged  into  the 
water  together. 

Deacon  Li  was  buried  but  the  word  went  around  among 
the  Boxers  that  so  zealous  a Christian  would  rise  from  the 
dead  in  a short  time,  so  his  body  was  exhumed  and 
burned  to  ashes. 


The  Unknown  Martyrs 

Among  those  who  died  for  their  faith  in  this  field  were 
many  whose  names  are  unknown,  but  whose  steadfastness 
in  the  face  of  death  produced  so  much  wonder  among  the 
heathen  that  their  stories  are  being  told  by  those  who 
“ were  consenting  ” by  looking  on  silently  when  they  were 
condemned. 

At  P'ing  Ku  Hsien  two  men  were  taken  to  the  “ Great 
Elder  Brother  ” of  the  Boxers  for  his  decision  as  to 
which  was  guilty  of  following  the  foreign  religion.  After 
repeating  his  incantations  he  turned  and  pointed  to  one 
and  said  “ This  is  one  of  them ! ” The  man  was  led  away 
and  killed,  the  other  one  was  released.  He  turned  away 
and  went  off  a little  distance,  then  came  back  to  the 
Boxers.  “What  are  you  coming  back  for?  You  can 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


673 


go,”  they  said.  He  replied  “ Kill  me  too!  1 too  am  one 
of  them ! ” And  they  led  him  to  where  his  friend  had 
died  and  there  killed  him. 

At  the  T’ung  Chou  north  gate  two  boys  of  thirteen  and 
fourteen  years  of  age  were  making  their  escape  into  the 
country  when  the  Boxers  seized  them  to  question  them. 
These  nameless  young  confessors  said  boldly  “ We  are  of 
the  Jesus  Church.”  When  about  to  be  bound  they  said, 
“You  need  not  bind  us.  We  will  not  try  to  get  away. 
Every  step  we  take  to  your  altar  is  one  step  nearer 
heaven.”  And  they  soon  joined  the  victors  above. 

Deacon  Heng 
(As  told  by  himself) 

“ On  returning  to  Peking  from  Annual  Meeting  we 
found  the  danger  and  excitement  in  the  city  had  greatly 
increased.  A council  was  held  and,  soon  after,  the  mis- 
sionaries and  the  girls  of  Bridgman  school  were  removed 
to  the  Methodist  Mission,  while  many  of  the  men  of  the 
church  remained  to  guard  the  Mission.  On  the  evening 
of  June  13th,  a man  came  rushing  to  the  chapel  say- 
ing ‘ The  Boxers  have  entered  the  city  and  are  setting  fire 
to  the  Missions.’  I went  into  the  street  and  could  see  the 
smoke  of  the  Methodist  street  chapel  and  of  the  London 
Mission  rising  to  the  south  of  us.  The  streets  were  full 
of  excited  people  saying  ' They  will  come  here  next ! 
These  will  be  the  next  to  die ! ’ After  a short  consulta- 
tion we  decided  we  could  not  defend  the  buildings  and 
could  only  try  to  save  our  lives  by  flight. 

“ There  were  many  who  saw  me  and  knew  me,  but  I 
made  my  way  to  the  north  part  of  the  city  where  I was 
least  known,  and  as  it  was  dark  I hid  in  a temple  near  the 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


674 

northwest  gate.  From  there  I saw  the  burning  of  the 
two  Presbyterian  Missions  and  further  south  the  smoke 
and  flames  of  our  own  Mission. 

“ I rested  part  of  the  night  but  rose  at  3 a.  m.  and  went 
to  the  Presbyterian  Mission,  which  was  still  burning,  and 
saw  the  bodies  of  those  killed  during  the  night,  some  of 
them  in  the  burning  buildings,  some  outside  in  the  courts. 
I went  to  the  An  Ting  gate,  but  it  was  closed  not  to  be 
opened  till  noon.  After  wandering  around  I came  back 
to  the  north-east  gate.  I met  several  Christians  of  our 
own  and  other  Missions,  but  no  one  showed  signs  of  rec- 
ognition. Later  we  went  out  through  the  gate  together, 
each  making  for  his  own  place  of  refuge. 

“ I went  to  a village  eight  li  away  to  warn  a Christian 
family  living  there.  They  gave  me  food  and  I rested 
for  a time,  after  which  I went  back  to  the  city  by  the  An 
Ting  gate,  which  was  now  open.  There  were  many 
bodies  of  the  Christians  lying  along  the  road,  of  which 
I recognized  one  as  a colporteur  who  had  been  killed  while 
carrying  his  books  on  his  back.  There  were  men  and 
women,  young  and  old  among  them.  I then  went  from 
one  to  another  of  my  relatives  but  none  would  let  me 
remain.  I went  to  the  yamen  where  I have  duties  but 
was  told  there  was  no  place  for  me. 

“ For  a day  or  two  I wandered  about  getting  food 
and  shelter  as  best  I could.  At  last  I went  to  my  uncle 
and  he  said  he  would  try  to  get  me  out  of  the  city  safely 
but  could  not  keep  me,  as  it  would  surely  bring  ruin  to 
them  all. 

“ They  advised  me  to  shave  my  head  and  put  on  the 
garments  of  a Buddhist  priest,  but  I was  not  willing  to 
wear  that  garb.  Finally  they  brought  me  the  outfit  of  a 
fortune-teller,  the  mystic  character  of  the  ‘ Book  of 
Changes,’  and  wrote  out  for  me  enough  couplets  for 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


6 75 

twenty  fortunes.  Then  my  uncle  put  on  his  Manchu 
robes  for  ceremonial  service,  gave  a suit  to  me  and  we 
rode  out  of  the  city  as  official  and  attendant.  No  one 
challenged  me.  He  went  a few  miles  with  me,  gave  me 
money  for  my  journey  and  we  separated. 

“ I went  to  the  village  at  the  north  where  there  were 
Christians,  but  found  them  scattered ; went  on  to  another 
place  and  found  the  Boxers  w’ere  everywhere.  I still  went 
north  and  after  a few  days  reached  a valley  among  the 
mountains  where  a large  branch  of  our  family  lived. 

“ After  waiting  two  days  at  an  inn  and  no  one  appear- 
ing, whom  I knew,  I decided  to  turn  back  to  the  city  to 
learn  the  fate  of  our  church.  I went  to  a few  fairs  on  the 
way,  spread  out  my  table,  told  a few  fortunes,  always 
watching  for  familiar  faces.  At  last  I met  three  Chris- 
tians who  told  me  of  the  siege  of  foreigners  and  Chris- 
tians at  the  Legation  and  North  Cathedral.  They  said 
we  could  not  go  to  the  city  yet, — it  was  not  certain  that 
any  one  would  survive  the  fierce  attack. 

“ So  again  I turned  north,  this  time  in  company  with 
these  three.  We  travelled  by  twos  and  stopped  at  differ- 
ent inns.  One  of  them  soon  hired  out  to  a farmer  and 
the  others  found  other  work,  but  I was  not  strong  enough 
to  be  of  any  use,  so  I went  to  fairs  and  told  fortunes, 
working  my  way  back  to  the  north  to  my  relatives. 
Sometimes  I was  tempted  to  end  my  days  in  a river  or 
to  jump  from  a precipice,  but  I held  back  from  that  sin, 
feeling  that  God  would  care  for  me  or  take  me  to 
Himself. 

“At  last  I reached  again  the  home  of  my  relatives. 
There  were  some  sixteen  families  in  the  hamlet,  all  of 
our  clan.  I went  to  the  head  man,  who  was  the  only  one 
of  an  older  generation — an  uncle.  There  were  four  of 
my  own  generation  whom  I could  call  ‘ brothers.’  I 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


676 

could  not  tell  them  of  my  being  a Christian  but  did  tell 
them  of  how  Peking  was  in  a state  of  chaos  and  ruin, 
with  fighting  in  the  streets  and  robbers  and  Boxers  every- 
where. 1 had  fled  for  safety  and  must  ask  them  to  give 
me  refuge  until  the  country  should  become  quiet.  They 
consulted  together  and  agreed  to  share  in  keeping  me. 
There  I remained  until  after  the  New  Year.  They  were 
poor  people  but  they  gave  me  food  such  as  they  had 
and  money  enough  for  me  to  buy  a sheep-skin  garment 
and  other  clothes  for  winter.  I was  kept  in  the  house  for 
more  than  a month  by  sickness. 

“ As  the  weather  grew  warmer  I could  wait  no  longer 
but  turned  back  to  the  plain  to  see  if  any  of  our  church 
survived.  The  roads  and  inns  were  full  of  dispersed  sol- 
diers. Several  times  I told  their  fortunes  and  gave  them 
the  truth.  I told  them  they  could  not  succeed  in  fighting 
foreigners  but  had  been  deceived  by  the  Boxers  and  had 
better  give  up  being  soldiers  and  go  to  their  homes ! 
They  were  not  angry  at  this  but  paid  my  food  and  lodg- 
ing and  treated  me  kindly.  I made  my  way  to  the  city 
gate  where  the  Japanese  were  in  charge.  I could  not 
make  myself  understood  but  found  my  way  back  to  our 
old  street. 

“ There  I saw  a notice  in  foreign  letters  on  the  gate, 
and  came  inside  and  found  myself  in  the  presence  of  those 
whom  I had  thought  dead.  The  Lord  has  brought  me 
back.  I am  far  from  perfect.  The  Lord  has  not  done 
teaching  me  so  He  has  let  me  live  on  to  finish  His  work 
in  me.” 


Mrs.  Li  Pen  Yuan  ( Dorcas ) 

Li  Pen  Yuan  is  one  of  the  younger  preachers  of  the 
American  Board  Mission,  and  Dorcas,  his  wife,  is  a wor- 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


677 


thy  helpmeet.  She  was  educated  in  the  Bridgman  school 
and  is  a woman  attractive  in  person  and  of  a lovely  Chris- 
tian character. 

On  the  night  when  the  Missions  were  burned  in 
Peking  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Li  were  visiting  the  brother  of  the 
former  in  a distant  part  of  the  city.  The  brother  was 
a preacher  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission.  As  the  mob 
drew  near  that  place  they  all  fled  together  but  after  go- 
ing a little  distance  the  two  families  separated  so  as  to 
attract  the  less  attention.  Mr.  Li  found  a retired  corner 
in  the  angle  of  some  house  where  he  left  his  wife  and  child 
while  he  went  on  to  the  great  street  to  look  about.  She 
could  see  him  standing  at  the  corner  not  many  rods  away 
when  a crowd  of  Boxers  come  along.  He  knew  it  would 
not  do  to  run,  so  followed  along  as  one  of  the  crowd  till 
he  could  turn  aside  unnoticed  and  make  his  way  back  to 
his  wife.  She  had  seen  him  apparently  swept  along  by 
the  crowd,  and  as  a long  time  elapsed  and  he  did  not 
return  she  gave  him  up  as  lost. 

She  finally  came  out  from  hiding  and  worked  her  way 
slowly  back  across  the  city  to  the  American  Board  Mis- 
sion, which  was  burning  when  she  reached  it.  Wander- 
ing about  from  one  place  to  another  she  finally  sat  down 
in  front  of  a large  gate  of  a strange  family  and  rested 
till  the  morning  broke.  Soon  after  light  a band  of 
Boxers  came  along  and  seeing  the  lonely  woman  and 
child  marked  them  with  blood-hound  instinct  as  refugee 
Christians.  Just  as  they  stopped  in  front  of  Dorcas  the 
gentleman  of  the  place,  an  entire  stranger  to  her,  came 
out,  took  in  the  situation  at  a glance,  and  said  to  the 
Boxers,  “ You  are  mistaken.  This  is  a neighbour  of 
mine ! ” His  word  was  taken  and  the  mob  went  on  leav- 
ing her  there. 

She  told  her  story  to  this  “ good  Samaritan  ” and  he 


678 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


went  with  her  to  a village  near  the  eastern  city  gate  where 
she  had  relatives  living.  They  found  the  house  de- 
stroyed and  the  people  fled.  The  man  who  was  trying  to 
save  her  then  said  they  were  expecting  a visit  from  a rel- 
ative named  Li,  and  she  must  represent  that  relative  to 
their  family  and  go  to  his  home  till  some  other  plan  could 
be  made.  The  women  at  first  received  her  cordially  but 
after  a little,  suspicions  arose  and  then  she  told  her  story 
to  them.  They  would  not  let  her  remain.  The  man 
begged  them  to  keep  the  little  one  but  they  refused  that 
too.  As  Dorcas  left  the  house  he  said  to  his  wife,  “ The 
one  good  act  of  my  life  you  will  not  let  me  do ! ” 

She  went  back  near  the  Mission  from  one  old  neighbour 
to  another,  none  of  whom  would  receive  her.  She  appealed 
to  a police-station,  to  a man  who  knew  her  husband,  but 
he  drove  her  roughly  away.  Towards  night  she  sat  down 
on  some  logs  near  a lumber-yard  but  was  soon  told  to 
“ move  on  ’’  and  when  she  said  she  had  no  place  to  go  the 
man  pointed  down  a blind  alley  and  said  “ You  can  wait 
there.”  There  was  nothing  to  wait  for  but  death. 

Just  then  a carter  of  the  Mission  came  along,  saw 
her  and  called  her  by  name.  She  went  to  his  cart  and  got 
inside ; he  quickly  dropped  the  curtain  and  drove  up  and 
down  the  streets  for  hours  trying  to  find  some  place  of 
refuge.  At  midnight  he  drove  into  a cart-stand  yard  and 
received  permission  to  keep  his  cart  and  mule  there  for 
the  night.  Dorcas  spent  that  night  in  the  cart.  The  lit- 
tle child  of  only  two  years,  a bright  winsome  little  one, 
seemed  to  know  she  must  keep  quiet  and  did  not  cry 
once  in  the  night. 

The  next  morning  at  earliest  dawn  they  drove  away  and 
went  to  a village  where  some  Christians  were  known  to 
have  taken  refuge,  and  there  she  remained  until  word 
was  taken  to  her  husband  who  came  and  took  her  to  the 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


679 


Methodist  Mission.  They  had  been  separated  from 
Wednesday  night  till  Saturday  morning  and  he  had 
searched  all  over  the  city  for  her. 

The  T’sai  Family 

This  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  Protestant  Christian 
families  in  North  China,  the  present  head  of  it,  Mr.  T’sai 
Fu  Yuan,  being  of  the  second  generation  of  Christians. 
He  has  been  a preacher  for  nearly  twenty  years,  and  their 
home  has  been  a centre  for  the  church  of  the  Yu  Chou 
region. 

By  the  latter  part  of  June  the  whole  city  and  region 
were  aflame  with  the  Boxers.  Mr.  T’sai  was  in  the  city 
with  his  family.  His  aged  mother,  who  shared  the  uni- 
versal Chinese  dread  of  extinction  of  the  family,  saw  the 
approaching  crisis  and  told  her  son  and  grandson  that 
they  must  flee  while  it  was  vet  possible.  After  vainly 
protesting  they  at  last  yielded  and  left  the  city  about  the 
middle  of  July.  They  first  went  to  Hsi  He  Ying,  where 
there  were  other  Christians,  but  found  that  place  still 
worse  than  Yu  Chou,  as  the  large  Catholic  Church  drew 
the  Boxers  to  its  attack  from  the  whole  region  around. 
He  then  went  on  to  Pai  Lu,  where  he  had  friends,  but 
soon  left  them  and  took  refuge  in  the  watch  tower  of  a 
melon  patch,  where  a Catholic  old  lady  was  also  in  hid- 
ing. He  remained  in  this  place  until  he  learned  of  the 
destruction  of  his  home  and  the  death  of  all  his  family 
except  the  son  who  was  with  him. 

The  crisis  in  Yii  Chou  culminated  about  the  last  of  July, 
when  a large  body  of  Boxers  passed  through  on  their  way 
to  attack  the  Catholic  Church  of  Hsi  He  Ying.  At  that 
time  a mob  surrounded  the  Mission  place  and  led  out  the 
women  to  a temple  near  by,  locking  them  within.  Then 


68o 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


the  chapel  and  homes  were  looted  and  burned,  after  which 
the  crowd  scattered,  leaving  the  women  in  the  temple 
without  even  a guard.  Toward  night  they  were  able  to 
escape  and  went  back  to  their  ruined  home.  They  found 
two  small  side  rooms  which  had  not  been  destroyed  and 
went  into  these  to  prepare  some  food  for  themselves. 

In  a little  time  some  rowdies  of  the  city  came  to  pick 
up  anything  that  might  remain  in  the  ruins  and  found 
the  women  there.  They  raised  the  cry  and  gathered  the 
Boxers  again.  Some  demanded  that  they  all  be  killed, 
and  some  of  the  baser  of  the  crowd  suggested  that  the 
young  women  might  be  sold  to  the  public  houses  for  a 
good  sum.  At  this  the  blind  old  grandmother  raised  her 
voice  and  said,  “We  are  not  that  kind!  Kill  us  if  you 
want ! We  can  die  ! ” 

The  Boxers  being  on  their  way  to  battle  did  not  wish 
to  defile  their  swords  with  the  blood  of  women,  so  led 
them  to  the  wrell  in  the  court  and  threw  them  in,  one 
after  another,  burying  each  with  stones  and  earth  as  she 
was  cast  in.  In  this  way  it  is  thought  six  perished,  though 
there  are  rumours  that  two  were  carried  away  and  given 
to  a military  official. 

Pastor  Meng  Chi  Hsien 

Pastor  Meng  Chi  Hsien  was  the  oldest  of  the 
younger  body  of  preachers  in  the  Mission  of  the  American 
Board,  who  had  been  trained  from  youth  in  the  Mission 
schools.  For  eleven  years  he  had  been  an  ordained 
pastor  at  Pao  Ting  Fu.  He  was  a man  of  strong  con- 
victions, of  great  energy,  was  a natural  leader,  beloved 
and  trusted  by  all. 

He  and  his  younger  brother,  Pastor  Meng  Chi  Tseng, 
attended  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Mission  at  T’ung 


PASTOR  MENG,  A MARTYR  OF  PAO  TING  FU 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


681 


Chou,  both  taking  prominent  part  in  the  meetings.  While 
these  were  in  progress,  tidings  came  that  the  railroad 
was  destroyed  and  communication  with  Pao  Ting  Fu 
cut  off.  Mr.  Meng  decided  to  return  at  once  to  stand 
by  Mr.  Pitkin’s  side  in  the  perils  and  perplexities  of  the 
hour.  He  went  overland,  most  of  the  way  on  foot.  The 
three  devoted  missionaries  at  Pao  Ting  Fu,  Mr.  Pitkin, 
Miss  Morrell,  and  Miss  Gould,  who  were  cut  off  from 
all  hope  of  escape,  were  quietly  going  on  with  their  work 
for  the  church. 

During  the  month  of  June,  Mr.  Meng,  with  other 
preachers,  and  returned  college  students,  opened  the  street 
chapel  daily.  They  saw  the  gathering  storm  and  advised 
the  church  members  to  leave  the  city,  helping  them  to 
choose  places  of  escape,  but  these  preachers  and  the  Bible- 
readers  deliberately  decided  to  remain  at  their  posts. 

They  said : “ Our  missionaries  have  remained  with  us, 
— we  will  stand  by  them  and  live  or  die  together.”  They 
could  have  escaped  had  they  fled.  All  who  went  away 
did  escape.  They  chose  to  stay,  although  they  saw 
more  clearly  than  their  foreign  friends  the  inevitable 
results. 

One  man,  a life  long  friend  of  Mr.  Meng,  said  to  him, 
“ We  have  lived  together,  now  we  will  die  together.” 
“No!”  said  the  pastor,  “My  place  is  here  with  our 
missionaries.  I shall  stay,  but  you  must  take  my  oldest 
son  and  get  away.  If  you  escape  and  he  is  spared,  he 
will  represent  me  and  carry  on  my  work.”  So  the  friend 
took  the  son,  a fine  boy  of  fifteen,  and  went  away.  After 
many  dangerous  experiences  during  the  summer  he 
brought  him  safely  to  Tientsin  after  the  arrival  of  the 
Allies. 

Friday  afternoon  of  June  27th,  Pastor  Meng  was  at 
the  street-chapel  packing  books  and  furniture,  preparing 


68z 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


to  remove  from  the  rented  building,  as  notice  to  do  so 
had  been  given  by  the  owner. 

Suddenly  a company  of  Boxers  came  into  the  chapel, 
seized  him,  bound  him,  and  carried  him  to  their  altar  in 
a temple  in  the  south-east  corner  of  the  city.  The  first 
blow  had  fallen  upon  the  mainstay  of  the  native  church. 
He  was  beheaded  at  the  altar,  his  head  exposed  as  that 
of  a criminal,  while  the  body  was  buried  like  a pauper’s 
near  the  citv  wall. 

Nine  months  later  to  a day,  a great  memorial  service 
for  the  martyred  missionaries  and  Christians  was  held 
at  Pao  Ting  Fu,  attended  by  the  chief  officials  of  the  city 
and  witnessed  by  thousands  of  silent  spectators.  In  the 
stately  funeral  procession  were  banners  and  flags,  em- 
broidered catafalques,  native  musicians,  a long  line  of 
carts  filled  with  mourning  friends,  and  ahead  of  all,  above 
thirty  memorial  banners,  more  than  half  of  which  were 
to  the  memory  of  this  noble  man.  They  were  no  empty 
show,  but  gave  the  last,  true  estimate  of  the  best  men 
of  the  city,  officials  and  merchants,  guilds  and  citizens,  of 
the  life  and  character  that  had  been  lived  in  their  midst. 

Chang  Citing  Hsiang 

Chang  Ch’ing  Hsiang  was  a member  of  the  senior  class 
of  the  North  China  College,  and  had  returned  to  Pao 
Ting  Fu  at  the  close  of  the  college  year,  taking  part  in 
the  work  of  the  station  up  to  the  time  when  the  storm 
broke  upon  the  Mission. 

The  night  that  the  elder  Pastor  Meng  was  seized  by 
the  Boxers  was  a sleepless  one  in  the  Mission.  All  felt 
that  they  were  doomed  to  death,  and  it  was  only  a ques- 
tion of  time.  Towards  morning,  Ch’ing  Hsiang’s  mother, 
who  was  one  of  the  Bible-women,  came  to  him  and  said: 


MISS  GOULD  OF  PAO  TING  FU  AND  SCHOOL  GIRLS 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


683 


"There  is  no  need  for  all  to  die.  You  are  young  and 
may  have  many  years  of  work  for  the  Lord.  I shall  stay 
and  die  with  Miss  Morrell.  You  must  try  to  escape.” 

Starting  out  in  the  early  dawn,  he  first  went  to  their 
home  to  get  money  and  an  extra  garment,  then  turned 
south  to  a place  twenty-five  miles  away,  where  there  were 
Christians.  Arriving  at  the  town  towards  night  he  found 
the  streets  alive  with  Boxers  coming  in  from  the  coun- 
try, and  knew  it  was  no  place  of  refuge,  so  turned  back 
to  retrace  his  steps.  He  was  pursued  a few  li  by  some 
villagers  who  noticed  his  being  a stranger  and  alone. 
As  night  came  on  it  rained  heavily,  and  in  the  darkness 
and  storm  he  made  his  way  on  the  railroad  back  to  his 
home.  His  sister  met  him  with  the  warning  to  flee  at 
once,  as  search  had  been  made  for  him.  He  had  had  no 
sleep  for  two  nights,  his  limbs  were  swollen  and  every 
step  was  painful,  but  his  friends  led  him  out  a few  li 
and  he  set  his  face  towards  the  hills. 

He  fixed  on  a town  a hundred  miles  away  as  his 
destination,  and  knowing  that  single  travellers  were 
viewed  with  suspicion,  soon  joined  some  merchants  going 
to  that  place.  After  reaching  there  he  decided  to  go  into 
Shansi,  not  knowing  that  it  would  be  entering  the  tiger’s 
den.  He  soon  joined  an  official  train  whose  followers 
were  friendly,  and  with  them  made  the  journey  all  the 
way  to  T'ai  Yuan  Fu.  Arriving  there  he  learned  that 
already  a large  number  of  missionaries  had  been  killed, 
and  he  himself  saw  a Boxer  mob  chase  down  some 
Catholic  Christians. 

His  money  was  almost  gone,  and  he  turned  his  face 
back  to  Pao  Ting  Fu,  hoping  the  worst  would  be  over 
when  he  should  have  again  made  the  long  journey.  After 
going  thirty  miles  he  found  that  he  had  taken  a branch 
road  to  T’ai  Ku,  and  was  only  ten  miles  from  the  city. 


I 


684  CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 

His  classmate,  K’ung  Hsiang  Hsi  lived  there,  and  al- 
though not  knowing  whether  he  were  yet  alive,  he  de- 
cided to  try  to  find  him.  Entering  the  city  he  found  the 
missionaries  were  still  living  and  made  his  way  to  the 
gate.  It  was  very  closely  guarded  as  spies  had  visited 
them,  and  his  ragged,  travel-worn  appearance  excited 
suspicion,  so  that  the  door  was  shut  in  his  face. 

He  finally  met  his  friend  and  they  found  a hiding 
place  in  a village  not  far  away.  After  the  Mission 
was  destroyed  he  was  again  in  great  peril,  and  after 
a hasty  visit  to  his  friends,  he  started  to  return  to  Chihli. 
He  soon  joined  other  travellers  of  his  own  province  and 
in  their  company  made  the  long  journey  out  of  Shansi 
safely. 

He  then  turned  south  to  a village  where  there  were 
Christians,  and  a good  deacon  took  him  in  and  treated 
him  as  a brother.  He  had  journeyed  over  a thousand 
miles  on  foot,  had  an  ulcer  on  one  leg,  and  his  feet  were 
covered  with  blisters.  His  clothes  were  in  tatters,  and 
his  shoes  almost  gone.  He  received  the  kindest  care,  his 
needs  were  supplied,  and  he  was  soon  able  to  join  them 
in  the  harvest  fields  and  work  with  them  till  news  came 
that  foreign  troops  had  entered  Pao  Ting  Fu.  Then  the 
deacon  went  with  him  to  keep  him  company.  The 
friends  at  Pao  Ting  Fu  received  him  as  one  from  the 
dead,  having  heard  repeatedly  that  he  had  been  killed  in 
Shansi. 

His  experiences  illustrate  those  of  hundreds  who  wan- 
dered from  one  place  of  hiding  to  another,  suspected, 
hunted,  in  danger  every  moment  of  being  recognized,  not 
knowing  each  morning  but  the  new  day  might  be  their 
last.  The  marvel  is  that  so  many  were  able  to  escape  the 
constant  perils,  and  survive  as  witnesses  to  the  providen- 
tial care  of  their  God. 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


685 


Mrs.  Huo’s  Story 

“ When  we  saw  the  danger  increasing  around  us,1  I 
said  to  my  husband.  ‘We  must  not  all  die.  You  must 
go  away  and  hide.  They  are  not  so  likely  to  kill  me  and 
the  children  as  to  kill  you.  If  I am  spared  you  can  hunt 
me  up  afterwards.  If  not  it  will  be  God’s  will.’  So  I 
baked  him  some  cakes,  rolled  up  his  quilt  and  some 
clothes,  and  then  had  to  fairly  push  him  out  of  the  door. 

“ After  the  Mission  houses  were  burned  the  Boxers 
came  and  took  me  and  the  children  to  their  altar  for  trial. 
As  we  started  I begged  them  to  let  me  say  a few  words. 
‘ You  want  to  talk  now  do  you?  ’ ‘ If  you  will  let  me, — 
if  not  I will  keep  silent.’  ‘ Well,  talk  ahead!  ’ So  I told 
them  how  we  had  lived  there  many  years,  how  our  neigh- 
bours all  knew  we  had  quarrelled  with  no  one,  had  of- 
fended no  one,  how  my  husband  was  gone  and  I was 
alone  with  my  little  children.  Would  they  not  be  merci- 
ful to  me  and  the  little  ones?  Some  of  the  by-standers 
said : ‘ What  a pity  to  destroy  the  children ! ’ 

“ They  put  chains  on  my  hands  and  feet  as  I sat  on 
the  ground  and  then  ordered  me  to  get  up.  I tried  sev- 
eral times  in  vain,  then  told  them  it  was  impossible,  and 
finally  said  my  body  was  ‘ inconvenient,’  and  I could  not 
rise  without  help.  They  then  called  two  women  who 
belonged  to  the  jail  to  attend  to  women  prisoners,  and 
they  led  me  to  the  prison,  where  I spent  seventy-two  days. 
They  gave  me  coarse  food  and  drink.  After  twenty  days 
my  baby  was  born.  The  official  had  ordered  clothing  for 
the  child,  and  extra  food  for  me,  but  these  things  did 
not  reach  me,  being  kept  by  the  guards.  The  little  one 
lived  only  three  weeks.  I did  not  know  the  fate  of  my 
poor  children,  from  whom  I had  been  separated,  but  I 

1 Pao  Ting  Fu. 


686 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


prayed  God  every  day  to  spare  their  lives  and  restore 
them  to  me. 

“ After  a time  two  other  Christians,  a mother  and  a 
daughter  who  had  given  themselves  up  to  the  Boxers 
voluntarily,  were  put  in  with  me,  and  we  comforted  each 
other.  They  were  alone  and  knew  they  could  not  escape, 
so  they  went  to  the  Boxer  leaders  and  told  them  plainly 
that  they  were  Christians,  and  would  not  give  up  Christ, 
and  they  could  kill  them  at  once.  The  Boxers  did  them 
no  harm,  but  shut  them  up  in  the  prison,  and  they  came 
through  safely  with  me. 

“ There  was  another  woman  prisoner  there,  one  who 
had  been  very  wicked,  and  who  was  awaiting  her  sen- 
tence at  the  law,  expecting  death.  She  was  friendly  and 
anxious  to  know  about  us,  so  we  talked  freely  together. 
One  day  I asked  her,  ‘ If  you  must  die  have  you  any 
one  to  help  you  in  the  next  world?’  ‘ No,  no  one,’  she 
said.  I said,  ‘ We  have  some  one.  We  are  not  afraid  to 
die.’  So  I told  her  about  Jesus  who  died  for  us,  and  who 
takes  away  the  fear  of  death.  She  was  a very  bright 
woman  and  learned  quickly.  We  taught  her  to  pray,  and 
she  learned  to  trust  in  Christ  to  forgive  her  many  sins. 
I told  her  at  last.  ‘ If  they  come  to  deliver  us,  you  may 
tell  them  you  are  a Christian  too  now,  only  you  must 
never  go  back  to  your  old  life  of  sin.’ 

“ Sure  enough,  when  the  foreign  soldiers  let  us  out  she 
too  was  released.  The  interpreter  for  the  troops  was  a 
missionary,  and  he  asked  her  many  questions  to  test  her 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  she  answered  them  well. 
She  has  gone  back  to  her  father’s  home  in  a distant  vil- 
lage, and  I am  going  there  to  see  her  as  soon  as  it  is  safe 
for  me  to  walk  there.  The  Lord  saved  me,  body  and 
soul,  why  shouldn’t  I try  to  save  some  one  else,  body 
and  soul? 


i 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


687 


“ After  a time,  before  the  soldiers  came,  we  heard  that 
some  foreigners  had  been  brought  to  the  prison.  ‘ Could 
it  be  Pastor  Ewing,  come  to  try  and  save  us?  Were  they 
to  be  killed?  ’ we  asked.  ‘ No,’  the  guard  said,  and  then 
added,  ‘You  need  not  worry,  no  one  will  kill  them  or 
you  now,’  I did  not  then  know  that  they  meant  that  the 
foreign  armies  were  in  Peking,  and  every  one  was  afraid 
of  their  vengeance,  but  I felt  sure  we  were  safe  and 
would  in  some  way  be  delivered.  In  time  I learned  that 
the  foreigners  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green  and  their  party. 

“ At  last  the  time  came  when  they  brought  us  out  of 
prison  and  restored  my  four  children  to  me.  They  had 
been  taken  to  the  city  orphanage  and  cared  for  during 
my  long  stay  in  prison.  They  were  sick  and  wasted  from 
poor  fare  and  lack  of  mother’s  care,  but  they  had  not 
been  unkindly  treated.  After  a time  my  husband  came 
back,  so  we  are  all  spared  to  each  other.  God  has  been 
very  good  to  us.  My  children  are  His  to  do  with  just 
what  He  wants.” 


Dr.  Ch’iu 

Dr.  Ch’iu  was  a former  student  with  Dr.  Atterbury  at 
Peking,  who  was  carrying  on  an  independent  practice,  and 
had  a medicine  shop  of  his  own. 

As  the  Boxer  altars  multiplied  in  the  city  and  danger 
to  Christians  increased,  Dr.  Ch'iu  became  alarmed  for  his 
own  safety.  Pie  is  very  lame  and  this  made  it  harder  for 
him,  rendering  him  conspicuous,  and  making  it  difficult 
for  him  to  flee.  This  led  him  to  go  out  of  the  city  to 
relatives  in  a village  a few  li  away,  before  the  attack  on 
the  missions  began.  His  relatives  refused  to  allow  him 
to  remain,  so  after  vainly  trying  to  find  a hiding-place,  he 
returned  to  the  city.  Not  long  after  that  the  great  out- 


688 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


break  occurred.  His  shop  of  foreign  medicines  was 
looted,  and  his  home  also.  He  was  seized  by  the  Boxers 
and  taken  to  their  altar.  In  his  fright  he  yielded  to  their 
demands  and  burned  incense  to  their  idols. 

They  were  still  bent  on  killing  him,  when  some  one 
suggested  that  he  be  kept  alive  to  dress  the  wounds  of 
those  who  had  been  wounded  during  the  attack  on  the 
Legations.  With  this  in  view  they  took  him  to  a temple, 
where  were  over  thirty  suffering  from  wounds,  lying  on 
the  steps  or  in  the  court,  or  one  of  the  rooms,  while  in 
another  large  room  lay  more  than  twenty  bodies  of  those 
already  killed.  These  bodies  were  to  be  kept,  as  the 
Boxer  leaders  promised  that  after  a few  days  all  would 
rise  from  the  dead  and  again  join  them  in  exterminating 
Christians  and  foreigners. 

For  more  than  ten  days  Dr.  Ch’iu  was  kept  a close 
prisoner  in  this  court,  the  decaying  bodies  of  the  dead, 
and  the  groans  of  the  living,  all  about  him,  his  own  life 
depending  on  his  success  in  healing  those  under  his  care. 
His  guards  never  left  him  day  or  night.  He  knew  it 
would  be  impossible  for  some  of  the  wounded  to  recover, 
having  no  medicines  or  appliances  to  use  for  them,  and 
he  quietly  waited  the  end,  praying  for  forgiveness  for 
yielding  in  the  matter  of  burning  incense. 

Then  came  a sudden  turn  in  affairs.  A wealthy  village 
had  been  pillaged  by  Boxers,  although  not  related  to  the 
proscribed  classes,  foreigners  or  Christians.  Their  lead- 
ing men  came  into  the  city  and  entered  complaint,  and 
the  company  at  the  temple  where  Dr.  Ch’in  was  confined 
were  summoned  to  appear.  Some  went  to  the  official  and 
the  rest  fled,  leaving  no  guard.  This  was  the  opportunity 
for  flight,  but  to  flee  into  the  streets  was  vain,  as  others 
would  seize  him.  He  succeeded  in  sending  a message  to 
his  older  brother,  who  came  with  a cart  and  took  him 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


689 


to  his  home.  This  brother  was  a heathen,  and  not  in 
danger  for  himself,  and  although  during  the  days  of  at- 
tack he  had  refused  shelter  to  his  brother,  he  now  took 
him  in  and  hid  him  away,  and  for  two  months  succeeded 
in  keeping  him  from  the  Boxers.  When  the  troops  came 
in  he  was  taken  by  the  missionaries  to  a place  of  safety. 

Wen  Li 

One  of  Miss  Newton’s  school  girls,  Wen  Li,  was  be- 
trothed to  a young  doctor,  Mr.  Ma,  of  one  of  the  leading 
families  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission.1  Wen  Li’s  own 
mother  was  not  a Christian,  and  was  out  at  service  in  a 
wealthy  Chinese  household.  As  Wen  Li  had  no  home 
when  the  school  was  disbanded,  she  was  sent  to  her 
future  mother-in-law. 

The  family  desired  to  have  a wedding  in  the  usual  man- 
ner,— to  send  the  bride  to  a friend’s  house,  and  have  her 
brought  in  a red  bridal  chair ; but  the  streets  were  so 
disorderly,  and  the  mobs  so  rude  that  they  feared  a wed- 
ding among  Christians  would  attract  notice  and  lead  to 
trouble,  so  the  matter  was  delayed  from  day  to  day.  One 
day  Mr.  Ma  received  notice  that  they  must  give  up  their 
rented  house  to  their  landlord.  They  went  to  the  Mis- 
sion, where  a few  empty  rooms  were  found,  and  there 
they  made  a temporary  home.  It  then  seemed  best  to 
have  a quiet  wedding  which  should  place  the  young  bride 
in  better  position  to  receive  the  protection  of  her  husband. 

That  very  night  the  mission  houses  were  burned.  A 
company  of  native  Christians  hid  away  in  a court  where 
there  were  trees  and  shrubs,  but  the  light  of  the  burning 
buildings  betrayed  their  presence  and  they  were  pursued 
and  struck  with  knives  and  axes.  Thev  made  their  es- 
cape but  were  soon  separated.  Wen  Li,  with  her  hus- 

1 Peking. 


690 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


band’s  sister,  hid  in  a ruined  temple,  the  front  of  which 
was  burning,  so  that  the  smoke  of  the  fire  gave  them  a 
veil  as  they  crouched  against  the  brick  wall  in  the  rear. 
By  morning  this  hiding-place  was  searched,  and  those  in 
hiding  were  taken  to  the  Boxer  altar  to  be  tested.  Wen 
Li  was  released,  but  the  sister-in-law  was  killed. 

The  same  day  the  young  husband  was  also  taken  again 
and  was  put  to  death.  Wen  Li,  the  bride  of  a few  hours 
was  left  alone,  a widow.  She  carried  two  severe  wounds 
on  her  neck  from  the  Boxer  knife,  and  in  pain  and  terror 
made  her  way  to  her  mother.  But  her  mother  could  not 
keep  her,  and  after  going  from  place  to  place,  she  was 
taken  into  the  home  of  a sister  of  Wen  Yen  a school- 
mate, where  she  remained  two  months.  The  husband 
of  the  family  was  a Boxer,  but  he  gave  these  girls  his 
protection.  They  had  to  suffer  from  his  reproaches,  and 
constant  efforts  to  make  them  recant. 

One  day  he  said  to  them,  “ I am  bearing  a bad  name 
on  your  account.  I am  accused  of  making  you  my  lower 
wives.  I must  give  you  up  to  the  Boxers  unless  you 
recant.”  His  wife  then  said,  “ We  have  protected  them 
so  long  they  must  not  die  now.”  Wen  Li  was  ill  from 
her  unhealed  wounds  and  was  discouraged,  so  when  he 
lit  a stick  of  incense  and  said,  “ You’ve  only  to  kneel 
while  this  is  burning  and  then  you  will  be  safe,”  she 
could  hold  out  no  longer.  The  wife  took  pity  on  her 
distress  of  mind  and  body  and  broke  off  the  incense  stick 
to  only  an  inch  or  two,  to  make  the  time  the  shorter.  As 
the  poor  girl  told  her  story  she  broke  down  weeping,  and 
asked  me  to  pray  for  her  forgiveness  for  yielding  in  the 
time  of  trial. 

At  the  close  of  the  siege  she  was  taken  to  the  place 
where  the  mission  had  established  itself,  and  with  care 
and  kindness  soon  recovered.  She  was  later  again  mar- 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES  691 

ried  to  a young  man  whose  fiancee  had  been  killed  during 
the  Boxer  reign  of  terror. 


Mr.  Chang  and  Mr.  Wen 

After  the  allied  troops  reached  Peking,  Mr.  Tewksbury, 
with  a company  of  helpers,  went  to  T’ung  Chou  to  le^rn 
the  fate  of  the  Christians  who  had  not  gone  with  them 
to  Peking.  They  also  went  to  the  deserted  yamens, 
gathering  up  documents  which  should  give  evidence  as 
to  Boxer  leaders  and  their  victories. 

Among  the  papers  of  the  city  magistrate  was  one  stat- 
ing the  trial  of  a Mr.  Chang  of  the  London  mission.  His 
home  was  in  a village  near  T’ung  Chou,  but  his  business 
was  in  Peking.  When  the  city  became  full  of  Boxers  all 
business  was  broken  up,  and  Mr.  Chang  went  to  his  home 
and  took  his  family  and  fled.  Being  recognized,  he  was 
seized  by  the  Boxers,  stripped  of  clothing,  bound  with 
ropes  upon  a cart  and  carried  to  T’ung  Chou  to  the  offi- 
cial yamen.  The  cords  had  worn  off  the  flesh  so  that  he 
was  already  covered  with  bleeding  wounds  when  taken 
to  his  trial. 

On  being  questioned  he  plainly  stated  his  faith.  He 
said  that  he  had  been  several  years  in  business  when  he 
was  attracted  to  the  street  chapel  of  the  London  mission. 
The  more  he  heard  of  the  Jesus  doctrine  the  more  he 
considered  it  a good  doctrine,  and  after  attending  church 
for  a year  he  was  baptized.  He  said,  “ This  is  my  faith. 
I am  ready  to  invite  death.  I am  not  afraid  to  die,  and 
shall  not  give  up  my  religion.”  The  writer  wrote  out  his 
statement  and  he  affixed  his  mark,  the  impress  of  his 
second  finger.  He  then  knelt  down  and  began  to  pray, 
when  the  official  left  the  court  and  the  Boxers  fell  upon 
him  and  hacked  him  in  pieces. 


692 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Later  his  son  gave  a statement  of  his  death,  fully  agree- 
ing with  the  official  record.  Still  later  the  magistrate 
when  discussing  with  the  missionary  the  terms  of  indem- 
nity, also  told  of  this  man’s  trial,  and  then  added,  “ How 
could  I save  his  life  when  he  said  right  out  where  all 
could  hear  him  that  he  was  a Christian  ? ” That  a man 
could  die  for  his  faith  was  beyond  the  heathen  official’s 
power  to  comprehend. 

A Mr.  Wen,  with  his  wife  and  child,  of  the  same  mis- 
sion, were  taken  to  Prince  Chuang’s  place  by  the  Boxers, 
but  through  the  influence  of  a friend  were  released.  As 
they  were  leaving,  Mr.  Wen  was  again  seized,  his  head 
was  shaved,  he  was  loaded  with  chains  and  taken  to  the 
country  from  village  to  village,  the  Boxers  claiming  that 
they  were  taking  him  to  Peking  for  punishment  but 
lacked  funds.  After  levying  money  in  one  village  they 
moved  to  another;  in  every  place  Mr.  Wen  was  subjected 
to  insult  and  indignity  from  the  crowds.  While  being  led 
about  in  this  way  the  news  reached  his  captors  that  the 
Allies  had  arrived,  upon  which  they  all  took  to  their  heels. 
Mr.  Wen  hastened  to  the  capital  which  he  reached  safely, 
and  later  learned  that  his  wife  and  child  had  found  refuge 
in  the  country,  so  that  they  were  soon  reunited. 

Mr.  Chiang 

Mr.  Chiang,  of  the  London  Mission,  was  sixty-seven 
years  old,  a very  saintly  Christian,  and  a great  Bible 
student.  He  was  taken  safely  to  the  Methodist  Mission, 
but  was  anxious  about  his  youngest  daughter  who  was 
still  in  the  country,  and  wanted  to  leave  his  shelter  to 
find  her,  At  the  first  opportunity  he  slipped  away  and 
was  not  seen  again. 

On  his  way  to  the  country  home  he  was  pointed  out  to 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


693 


the  Boxers.  They  seized  him  and  told  him  they  should 
kill  him.  He  asked  for  a little  time  to  pray,  and  falling 
on  his  knees  he  began — “ Father  forgive  them — ” but  his 
prayer  was  not  completed.  The  knives  fell  on  him  as  he 
knelt  and  he  was  hacked  to  pieces. 

One  of  the  married  school  girls  of  this  same  Mission 
was  saved  by  her  husband  in  this  way.  In  an  unfre- 
quented spot  he  built  a stone  hut  leaning  against  a blank 
wall.  It  was  about  four  feet  square  on  the  ground  and 
six  feet  high  with  neither  doors  nor  windows.  When  the 
wife  and  child  were  inside  he  bricked  up  the  entrance, 
leaving  only  an  opening  for  passing  in  food.  Here  the 
mother  and  child  remained  for  six  weeks,  the  husband 
going  back  and  forth  at  the  risk  of  his  life  to  take  them 
food.  Sometimes  he  was  unable  to  get  to  them  for 
twenty-four  hours  together.  The  poor  little  child  lived 
only  a short  time  after  they  were  able  to  leave  the  hiding 
place,  being  reduced  about  to  starvation  by  the  scanty 
supply  of  food. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chang 

One  of  the  young  preachers  of  the  London  Mission, 
Mr.  Chang,  whose  wife  was  a former  bright  school  girl, 
took  his  family  to  the  Methodist  Mission  when  the  Chris- 
tians were  flocking  there  from  all  parts  of  the  city. 
Later,  not  thinking  that  a safe  place,  he  took  them  back 
to  his  adopted  father’s  and  left  them  for  a short  time. 
While  he  was  gone  the  wife,  little  babe  and  blind  old 
mother  were  turned  upon  the  streets  by  the  landlords. 

As  Mrs.  Chang  moved  slowly  along,  guiding  the  steps 
of  the  blind  mother— not  knowing  where  to  go,  a Boxer 
came  along,  seized  her  by  the  sleeve  and  said  “ Follow 
me ! ” While  they  went  along  he  had  a Boxer  trance. 


694 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Throwing  himself  on  the  ground,  he  foamed  and  raved 
a short  time  then  rose  and  pointing  a stiff  finger  at  her, 
said  “ You  ersh  mao  tzu!  I will  kill  you ! ” He  soon  led 
her  near  a city  gate  where  there  was  a soldier  guard  of 
about  fifty  men  and  not  far  away  several  bodies  of  those 
who  had  been  killed. 

Mrs.  Chang  thought  she  was  to  be  killed  and  began 
praying  for  strength  to  bear  witness  for  the  Lord  to  the 
end.  They  began  to  question  her.  “ Are  you  a Chris- 
tian?” “I  am.”  “Of  what  church?”  “I  am  a Prot- 
estant.” He  then  offered  her  a stick  of  incense  and  said 
“ Burn  this  and  your  life  will  be  spared.”  She  replied 
firmly  “ Never ! ” The  crowd  which  had  gathered  began 
to  shout  “ Kill ! Kill  her  and  see  if  her  body  rises  again 
and  goes  to  Jesus  Christ.”  She  turned  to  them  and  said 
“ My  body  cut  into  pieces  will  remain  scattered  on  the 
ground  like  those  others,  but  my  spirit  will  escape  you 
and  rise  to  the  Lord.”  The  Boxer  started  off  to  get  his 
knife.  One  of  the  soldiers  called  out  “ You  hateful 
Christian ! You  ought  to  die,  but  what  would  become 
of  your  child?  Quick!  Run  for  your  life!  ” 

She  trembled  so  she  could  scarcely  step,  but  ran  as  fast 
as  was  in  her  power  and  with  the  soldiers  helping  her 
she  escaped  before  the  Boxer  returned.  Hidden  away  in 
a filthy  corner  she  passed  the  night.  Towards  morning 
a man  came  along  with  a lantern  as  if  looking  for  some 
one.  As  he  drew  near  she  saw  it  was  her  husband ! He 
had  been  looking  for  her  since  noon  of  the  day  before. 
They  got  a cart  and  escaped  to  a village,  where  a friend 
bought  safety  by  bribing  the  villagers  not  to  report  them. 
Later  Mr.  Chang  went  to  the  city  to  try  to  find  his  old 
mother,  was  arrested  by  the  Boxers  and  murdered,  and  his 
head  cut  off  and  offered  to  the  idol. 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


695 


Christian  Students 

Wang  Chih  Shen  was  a student  of  the  Methodist  Uni- 
versity, a senior.  At  the  close  of  the  school  year  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  at  the  east.  He  was  well  known  as 
a Christian  and  was  soon  seized  by  the  Boxers.  They 
urged  him  to  recant.  He  not  only  refused  to  do  so 
but  bore  testimony  before  his  persecutors  to  his  faith. 
They  tried  to  make  him  stop  but  he  persisted  in  exhort- 
ing them  and  the  crowd  about  him.  They  finally  cut 
off  his  lips,  then  his  tongue,  and  then  cut  him  up  limb 
from  limb  till  he  expired.  Perhaps  no  case  of  greater 
bravery  and  greater  suffering  is  known. 

Another  student  when  seized  and  asked  “ Are  you  a 
Christian  ? ” first  replied  “ What  would  you  do  with  me 
if  I were?”  then  said  “Yes,  I am  a Christian.”  They 
killed  him  on  the  spot. 

Wu  Hsi  K’ou  was  a member  of  the  junior  class.  He 
was  taken  near  Shan  Hai  Kuan  where  a heathen  adopted 
him  as  a servant.  He  kept  him  safely  through  the  stormy 
times  and  when  the  troops  came,  gave  him  clothing  and 
money  and  sent  him  away. 

At  Tsun  Hua  the  keeper  of  a tea-shop  rescued  one  of 
the  school  boys,  took  him  home  as  a son,  cared  for  him 
through  the  time  of  danger  and  later  when  his  uncle  came 
searching  for  him  gave  him  up  safely. 

Wen  Lan  was  a former  pupil  of  the  girl’s  school  and 
was  employed  as  teacher  at  Tsun  Hua.  When  the  church 
and  school  were  scattered,  she  with  her  grandmother  and 
a few  others  fled  to  the  hills.  For  two  days  they  had  no 
food.  At  last  they  thought  they  might  as  well  run  the 
risk  of  being  found  by  Boxers  as  of  starving  to  death,  so 
they  gathered  sticks  and  lighted  a fire.  The  smoke  be- 


6g6 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


trayed  their  hiding  place.  The  Boxers  came  and  seized 
them. 

In  their  company  was  a former  student  of  the  Univer- 
sity who  had  been  employed  on  the  railroad,  and  had 
grown  cold  in  his  faith.  On  the  road  Wen  Lan  began 
exhorting  him  in  English  to  repent  and  make  ready  to  die. 
He  tried  to  stop  her  as  the  Boxers  would  recognize  them 
as  Christians,  but  she  said,  “ We  shall  tell  them  plainly 
we  are  Christians.”  She  encouraged  the  little  band  to  be 
faithful  to  death.  When  they  were  about  to  be  executed 
she  asked  to  be  allowed  to  speak  to  the  people.  It  was 
permitted  and  she  gave  an  earnest  testimony  of  her  faith, 
then  said  to  her  companions,  “ We  shall  soon  be  in 
heaven,”  then  covered  her  head  with  a handkerchief  and 
said  “ Kill  me  now.”  She  died  after  two  blows  of  the 
knife. 

Wang  Ching  Lin  had  studied  medicine,  then  entered 
the  regular  University  course.  He  was  put  to  death  in 
the  city,  and  it  was  reported  that  his  body  was  cut  in  six 
pieces. 

One  student  helper  was  seized  and  urged  to  recant. 
He  refused  repeatedly.  At  last  they  prepared  a vessel  to 
receive  his  blood,  made  him  kneel  over  it,  and  began 
carving  on  his  neck  slowly.  His  courage  failed  him  and 
he  consented  to  burn  the  one  stick  of  incense  which  saved 
his  life. 

Young  P’u  was  a Christian  servant  who  was  with  the 
missionaries,  away  from  his  family.  His  wife  was  seized 
by  the  Boxers  and  wounded  with  a knife.  She  was  a 
fine  appearing  woman  and  they  evidently  wanted  to  spare 
her  life.  They  tried  to  persuade  her  to  become  the  wife 
of  one  of  the  Boxers.  She  refused  to  do  so.  They  then 
shaved  her  head  and  put  on  the  garments  of  a Buddhist 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


697 


nun,  but  she  refused  to  act  in  this  character.  At  last 
after  vainly  trying  to  make  her  recant,  they  decided  that 
nothing  was  left  to  do  but  to  kill  her.  She  had  two  little 
children.  As  she  was  bound,  the  older  child  ran  by  her 
side  carrying  the  younger,  begging  the  Boxers  to  spare 
their  mother.  They  killed  the  mother  and  the  two  chil- 
dren on  the  same  spot. 


Mrs.  Ma 

During  the  early  days  of  the  outbreak  a native  catechist 
of  the  Anglican  Church  was  killed,  leaving  a wife  and 
two  children.  Mrs.  *Ma  disguised  herself,  took  her  two 
children  and  hid  away  in  a temple.  She  was  seen  by  a 
friend  of  her  husband,  a Mr.  Wei,  who  was  very  sorry  for 
her  helpless  condition.  Although  he  was  not  a church 
member  he  was  in  danger  from  the  Boxers  because  of 
friendly  relations  to  foreigners.  He  had  taken  the  pre- 
caution to  obtain  the  good-will  of  one  of  the  Boxer  leaders 
as  a measure  of  self-protection.  He  went  to  this  man 
and  told  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Ma,  begging  that  if  the  wife 
and  children  were  brought  to  him  he  would  save  their 
lives,  as  only  Mr.  Ma  himself  was  a Christian. 

In  a short  time  Mrs.  Ma  and  her  children  were  taken 
to  the  altar  and  she  was  questioned.  “ Are  you  a Chris- 
tian?” “Yes — I am!”  The  Boxer  leader  was  per- 

plexed, and  finally  had  her  put  into  a prison.  He  wrote 
a letter  to  Mr.  Wei  asking  what  it  meant  that  he  should 
have  said  she  was  not  a Christian  while  she  said  she  was. 
We  do  not  know  what  further  passed  between  them,  but 
though  Mrs.  Ma  remained  true  to  her  faith  she  was  re- 
leased in  a few  days  and  allowed  to  go  unharmed. 


698 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Roman  Catholic  Christians 

The  refugee  Christians  of  the  Protestant  Church  bear 
witness  to  the  faithful  manner  in  which  Catholics  met 
death  in  many  places. 

Deacon  Heng  said  “ In  one  place  I saw  the  death  of  a 
Catholic  family.  A mother  and  two  children  were  bound 
and  led  away.  A neighbour  begged  for  the  younger 
child  and  took  it  to  keep,  but  the  mother  and  older  child 
were  led  away  and  cut  to  death.  I heard  her  cry  ‘ O 
Lord  ! O Lord  ! receive  my  soul ! ’ That  soul  truly  went 
to  heaven.” 

Wen  Ts’ui,  the  young  girl  saved  in  Shansi,  said  that 
the  Catholics  were  very  brave.  The  children  when  led 
to  death  said  “ You  are  bringing  us  great  honour!  This 
is  our  day  of  great  joy!  ” 

Deacon  Li  of  T’ung  Chou  told  of  a Catholic  hiding  in 
disguise  who  when  brought  out  and  questioned  confessed 
to  being  a Christian  and  died  for  his  faith. 

Notes  of  Persecutions  of  Christians  in  K’ai  P’ing  Circuit 
English  M ethodist  Mission  * 

Li  Fu,  preacher  at  Ying  Ke  Chuang.  Seized  by  Boxers 
in  Lan  Chou  district ; burned  on  the  back  and  shoulders 
in  several  places ; stabbed  in  the  stomach,  fortunately  not 
deep  enough  to  cause  death ; the  back  of  both  heels  cut 
with  knives  so  that  he  will  be  lame  as  long  as  he  lives ; 
then  bound  with  ropes  so  tightly  that  the  marks  remain 
upon  his  breast  to-day,  and  conveyed  to  the  Yamen  at 
Lan  Chou.  There  his  persecutors  appealed  to  the  magis- 
trate to  execute  him,  but  whether  from  fear  or  kindness, 
he  refused  to  do  so,  throwing  Li  Fu  into  prison,  faint  and 

* Contributed  at  the  request  of  the  author  by  the  Rev.  John 
Hediey. 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


699 


bleeding  from  his  wounds.  There  he  lay  for  about  three 
months,  cared  for  only  by  a fellow  prisoner,  who  washed 
his  wounds  and  shared  his  food  with  him.  Li  Fu  was 
only  released  from  prison  when  Mr.  Hinds  returned  to 
Tientsin  in  September  and  wrote  to  the  Lan  Chou  magis- 
trate. The  poor  fellow  suffered  so  much  in  the  hands  of 
his  tormentors  that  he  pleaded  with  them  to  put  him  out 
of  his  misery  at  once,  or  even  to  bury  him  alive.  His  wife 
and  children  were  also  very  badly  treated.  Mrs.  Li  had 
her  clothes  torn  off  her  back,  and  with  her  husband  was 
bound  with  ropes  on  a cart.  One  child,  four  years  old, 
was  caught  by  the  feet,  and  hurled  across  the  court- 
yard like  a log  of  wood.  Another  child  received  a bullet 
in  her  back,  yet  not  a mortal  wound.  Li  has  since  received 
a large  sum  of  money  as  compensation  for  all  his  suffer- 
ings, but  proposes  to  devote  part  of  it  to  the  building  of  a 
chapel,  or  the  support  of  a preacher  in  the  district  where 
he  suffered. 

Li  Shu  Chili.  Member  at  Yung  P’ing  Fu  city  chapel. 
He  was  caught  by  the  rabble,  headed  by  a wealthy  Manchu, 
bound  and  carried  to  our  own  chapel  where  a mock  trial 
was  held.  Here  he  boldly  avowed  his  Christianity,  and, 
although  appealed  to  several  times,  absolutely  refused  to 
recant.  He  was  beaten  with  500  stripes,  then  thrown  into 
city  prison,  where  after  about  two  months  of  awful  suffer- 
ings, he  passed  away  in  the  faith  and  hope  of  the  Gospel. 

Chang  Shou  Clicn.  Preacher  at  Hsiao  Chi.  With  his 
wife  and  seven  other  members  of  his  family,  burned  alive 
in  their  home. 

Chang  Yu  Wen.  A lad  seventeen  years  old.  Very 
earnest  member.  Resisted  so  bravely  all  temptation  to 
recant  that  his  body  was  chopped  in  pieces,  nailed  to  wall, 
and  offered  for  sale  at  500  taels  per  piece — an  only  child. 

At  He  Chuang,  thirty  li  from  Yung  P'ing  Fu,  twenty- 


700 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


three  members  and  probationers  were  killed,  most  of 
whom  had  opportunity  to  recant.  Prominent  among 
those  who  died  were: — 

He  Ming  Chang,  one  of  the  elders.  His  wife  and  little 
son  also  perished.  Mr.  He,  with  his  wife  and  child,  had 
escaped  to  the  hills,  but  was  pursued  and  recaptured.  To 
all  their  offers  he  refused  to  listen  and  was  burned  alive. 
His  wife  and  child  were  thrown  from  the  precipice  by  the 
brother  of  Mrs.  He,  who  afterward  descended  and  kicked 
mother  and  infant  to  death. 

Yang  Lin  and  wife:  Yang  Yi  Ch’ing,  wife  and  daugh- 
ter: Yang  Shou:  Yang  Chung,  one  family  of  seven.  Cap- 
tured together  and  carried  to  a temple.  Kept  there  for 
some  hours,  but  unanimously  refusing  to  recant  they  were 
murdered  at  midnight,  their  bodies  being  cut  in  pieces 
and  flung  apart. 

Hsu  Yang  Hsi  and  daughter.  Sister  and  niece  of  above 
Yang  Yi  Ch’ing.  Neither  of  these  had  been  baptised. 
Mrs.  Hsu  was  a widow,  thirty-two  years  of  age.  An  uncle 
of  her  husband’s  had  a grudge  against  her  because  she 
would  not  marry  again,  and  himself  led  the  Boxers  to  her 
home,  where  they  wounded  mother  and  daughter,  and  then 
drowned  them  in  the  River  Lan.  The  uncle  took  posses- 
sion of  the  property,  but  after  the  first  visit  of  missiona- 
ries to  Yung  P'ing  Fu,  sent  deeds,  etc.,  to  the  preacher. 
The  magistrate  is  dealing  with  this  case,  and  making  dis- 
position of  the  land. 

Chen  Hsi  Kung.  Teacher  at  Pai  Chia  Tien  Tze  and  a 
literary  graduate.  This  man’s  courage  and  bearing  so  as- 
tonished his  persecutors  that  after  killing  him  they  cut 
out  his  heart  to  see  what  had  given  him  such  fortitude. 
The  heart  was  left  for  some  days  on  a stone  in  the  village. 

Chen  Jen  Yi.  This  little  fellow,  only  ten  years  old,  had 
been  baptised  as  an  infant.  The  child  was  caught  and 


MANCHU  FAMILY,  SOME  OF  THEM  CHRISTIANS  NATIVE  CHRISTIAN  REFUGEE 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


701 


asked  if  he  were  a Christian,  to  which  he  replied  that 
he  was.  Asked  again  if  he  would  forsake  Jesus,  he  re- 
fused most  boldly  and  was  cut  down  there  and  then.  Two 
brothers  and  two  nephews,  although  not  baptised,  died  at 
the  same  time. 


XXXVI 


FIRE  AND  SWORD  AMONG  THE  SHANSI  CHRISTIANS 

ON  the  19th  of  September  a native  Chinese  helper 
named  Wang  Lan  P’u  arrived  in  Peking,  with 
a non-Christian  acquaintance  who  had  kindly 
come  many  hundred  miles  to  see  him  safely  through  the 
disturbed  districts.  His  story  is  of  great  interest,  not  only  in 
itself,  but  for  the  incidental  light  which  it  sheds  upon  the 
modus  in  which  the  almost  incredible  fanaticism  of  the 
Boxers  was  introduced,  took  root,  and  bore  its  terrible 
fruits  all  within  the  space  of  a few  days,  and  before  any 
one  could  have  supposed  such  results  possible.  Mr. 
Wang’s  story  is  very  similar  to  another  brought  but  two 
days  before  by  Mr.  Fei  Ch’i  Hao,  a graduate  in  1898  of 
the  North  China  College  of  the  American  Board  at  T’ung 
Chou,  who  related  with  extreme  circumstantiality  the 
murder  of  most  of  the  missionaries  in  the  Tai  Yuan  Fu 
valley. 

With  this  introduction  we  will  let  Mr.  Wang  tell  his 
own  story,  which  was  heard  in  detail  by  the  writer  three 
different  times,  on  the  last  occasion  full  notes  being  taken, 
and  many  details  supplied.  There  was  not  only  no 
attempt  at  embellishment,  but  his  own  sufferings  and 
those  of  his  family  were  dismissed  in  a very  few  sen- 
tences, as  being  too  unimportant  to  be  mentioned,  or  too 
terrible  to  be  dwelt  upon. 

“ In  the  fourth  moon  (in  May)  there  is  held  here  a 
large  fair  which  lasts  fifteen  days,  where  many  horses  and 

702 


FIRE  AND  SWORD  IN  SHANSI 


7°3 


mules  are  sold,  and  excellent  theatrical  exhibitions  are 
given,  thus  attracting  enormous  crowds.  At  this  fair 
the  Boxer  excitement  was  propagated,  and  an  attack  was 
planned  upon  the  chapel  of  the  China  Inland  Mission, 
which  was  only  just  completed. 

“ The  local  Magistrate,  knowing  what  was  going  on, 
went  out  himself  and  drove  away  the  crowds  threaten- 
ing the  attack,  using  a whip  on  them  till  they  were  dis- 
persed. This  happened  twice,  but  the  third  time  the  mob 
was  uncontrollable  and  the  Magistrate  was  himself 
beaten,  his  spectacles  knocked  off,  and  his  sedan-chair 
broken  in  pieces.  This  was  on  Sunday,  and  the  mission- 
aries were  at  the  chapel  for  a service.  They  escaped  to 
the  roof  and  then  took  refuge  in  the  house  of  a church 
member  named  Chou,  who  was  a carpenter.  The  rioters 
followed  and  pulled  the  shop  down,  the  Magistrate  los- 
ing his  official  hat  in  the  scuffle.  There  was  a military 
official  there  also,  and  between  them  they  put  the  mis- 
sionary (whose  name  was  Larsson)  and  his  companion 
(who  had  recently  arrived  and  whose  name  I do  not 
know)  on  a cart,  the  two  Magistrates  having  whips  in 
their  hands,  and  riding  outside  the  cart  one  on  each  side 
to  protect  the  foreigners.  The  mob  followed  throwing 
clumps  of  dirt  and  the  like,  and  the  curtains  of  the  cart 
were  torn  in  pieces. 

“ It  was  now  noon,  and  when  the  missionaries  arrived 
their  clothes  had  all  been  torn  to  bits,  but  the  Magistrate 
gave  them  other  clothes  and  took  them  into  his  yamen, 
saying  that  he  would  repay  them  for  their  losses.  This 
official's  surname  was  Juan  (Rwan)  from  somew’here  in 
the  south  of  China.  He  had  a kindness  to  Christianity 
because  when  he  was  a child  he  had  been  at  a Mission 
school,  and  he  used  often  to  come  into  our  chapel  and 
look  about. 


7°4 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


“ The  missionaries  remained  in  the  yamen  two  or  three 
days.  At  first  nobody  cared  for  the  foreigners,  they  were 
so  occupied  in  looting  the  chapel,  which  was  torn  down 
to  the  foundations,  everything  being  carried  away.  Else- 
where the  chapels  were  all  burned.  The  Magistrate  sent 
the  missionaries  on  to  Ying  Chou  in  the  night,  as  the 
mob  kept  coming  to  the  yamen  to  try  to  get  them.  He 
lent  them  his  own  cart,  with  a Military  Official  for  an 
escort,  and  two  soldiers,  or  runners.  For  the  church- 
members  he  hired  a long  cart,  so  that  at  Hun  Yuan  none 
were  killed.  At  a later  period,  when  they  had  returned, 
they  were  chased  about  the  city  and  abused,  being  daubed 
with  filth  if  they  would  not  recant — but  not  one  of  them 
did  so. 

“ Mr.  Karlberg,  with  whom  I worked,  and  myself 
remained  at  Ying  Chou.  On  the  26th  and  27th  of  the 
moon  the  people  began  to  pray  for  rain,  but  the  Mag- 
istrate thought  there  would  be  no  trouble  in  consequence. 
He  required  those  that  were  going  through  the  rain- 
praying ceremonies  to  register  their  names — that  is,  the 
leaders — so  as  to  know  whom  to  hold  responsible.  He 
sent  for  the  literati  and  enjoined  them  to  prevent  any 
trouble.  Soon  the  leaders  of  the  Boxers  arrived  at  Ying 
Chou,  inviting  cooperation  in  killing  foreigners.  Even 
the  children  began  to  learn  and  practise  the  drill,  and 
the  whole  thing  was  brought  to  a head  within  about 
three  days.  The  Magistrate  invited  Mr.  Karlberg  and 
myself  into  the  yamen,  where  we  remained  some  day's, 
but  as  we  went  in  the  night  not  many  knew  that  we  were 
there,  and  there  was  no  external  disturbance.  Mr. 
Karlberg  rode  on  horseback,  and  reached  So  P’ing  in  less 
than  two  days,  escorted  by  men  sent  from  the  yamen,  and 
there  was  no  trouble  anywhere. 

“ On  the  first  day  of  the  6th  moon  things  became  so 


FIRE  AND  SWORD  IN  SHANSI 


7°5 


bad  that  the  Magistrate  wanted  me  also  to  get  away. 
He  told  me  to  put  on  the  dress  of  a yamen  courier,  gave 
me  one  of  the  yamen  horses,  and  wrote  a dispatch  to  the 
prefect  at  So  P’ing  telling  the  conditions  of  things.  As 
bearer  of  an  official  letter  I should  be  much  safer,  though 
I was  well  known  all  along  the  road.  I also  took  dis- 
patches to  the  Magistrate  at  Tso  Wei  Hsien,  the  first 
county  town,  where  I arrived  at  dark.  I went  at  once  to 
the  yamen,  just  in  time  to  see  the  chapel  there  set  on  fire 
by  a mob.  The  church  members  saw  me  in  the  yamen, 
and  none  of  them  had  then  been  injured.  I only  spent  a 
part  of  the  night  there,  as  it  was  unsafe,  and  started  very 
early  the  next  morning  getting  twenty  li  before  day- 
light, escorted  by  yamen  men. 

“ By  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  I was  in  So  P’ing  Fu, 
where  I went  direct  to  the  yamen  with  the  horse  and  to 
deliver  the  dispatches,  and  then  to  the  mission  head- 
quarters to  tell  the  news.  Everything  was  still  quiet 
there.  Four  of  us  went  to  see  the  Magistrate.  The 
Magistrate  went  over  to  see  the  Prefect  when  we  applied 
to  him,  and  the  latter  said,  ‘ Do  whatever  you  like  about 
it,’  meaning  that  he  did  not  care.  He  is  one  of  the  Man- 
chus,  who  all  violently  hated  Christians,  not  for  any  par- 
ticular reason,  only  they  had  a devil  inside  which  made 
them  do  so.  After  this  the  Magistrate  had  no  plan  of  his 
own.  He  was  asked  for  an  escort  to  Kalgan,  and 
promised  to  furnish  one  to  the  boundaries  of  his  own 
country.  He  ordered  five  or  six  carts,  for  which  the  price 
was  agreed,  and  he  paid  it  through  the  yamen  men. 

“ We  returned  to  the  chapel  much  pleased  that  there 
appeared  to  be  a way  of  escape,  and  were  busy  getting 
ready  when  a mob  gathered.  In  a trice  the  door  was 
forced,  and  looting  began.  We  saw  that  things  were 
hopeless,  and  again  fled  to  the  yamen,  the  Magistrate 


706  CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 

giving  us  one  small  room  for  all  the  missionaries,  and 
another  for  the  Christians,  and  they  were  outside  not 
inside  rooms.  His  treatment  was  very  perfunctory,  and 
boded  us  no  good.  At  this  time  the  crowd  had  not 
become  savage ; they  were  fully  occupied  in  looting  the 
premises.  By  noon  we  had  reached  the  yamen,  and  the 
house  was  soon  after  burned. 

“It  was  ingeniously  proposed  to  represent  to  the  people 
that  I had  come  to  the  city  with  Imperial  Orders  just  in 
from  Peking,  requiring  all  foreigners  to  be  sent  there  in 
manacles.  In  this  way  the  lives  of  the  prisoners  could 
be  saved  from  the  mob,  and  when  we  were  clear  of  the 
city  and  of  danger  it  would  be  easy  to  remove  the  fet- 
ters. To  this  the  missionaries  agreed  as  a shrewd  device. 
A blacksmith  was  called  who  made  six  pairs  of  hand- 
cuffs, one  for  each  of  the  men.  As  I had  the  yamen 
horse  to  take  back,  and  my  own  family  to  look  after,  it 
was  thought  best  that  I should  return  to  Ying  Chou.  I 
remained  in  the  stable  court  of  the  yamen.  During  this 
whole  day  the  missionaries  were  too  excited  to  eat,  and 
when  they  reached  the  yamen  no  one  offered  them  any- 
thing, not  even  a drink.  After  I had  been  asleep  some 
time,  being  very  much  exhausted,  I was  loudly  called  out 
by  name,  and  everyone  saw  that  mischief  was  meant.  1 
could  not  escape,  so  I went  out  and  found  a great  crowd 
of  Boxers  and  Manchus,  who  began  to  beat  me  terribly 
and  dragged  me  off  to  the  still  burning  chapel  to  throw 
me  into  the  fire. 

“ It  was  not  long  before  I lost  consciousness  entirely, 
being  half  dead  and  supposed  to  be  entirely  so.  I learned 
afterwards  that  the  Boxers  felt  me  to  see  if  I was  really 
dead  and  thinking  that  I was,  they  did  not  care  to  drag 
me  the  rest  of  the  way  simply  for  the  trouble  of  throw- 
ing me  into  the  fire.  Besides,  two  men  were  standing  by 


FIRE  AND  SWORD  IN  SHANSI 


7°7 

who  befriended  me  by  using  a great  deal  of  conciliatory 
language  to  the  Boxers,  begging  them  to  let  me  die  where 
I was.  One  of  them  was  from  a village  near  by,  the  other 
a sort  of  local  bully  in  the  city  who  had  often  seen  me  in 
the  street  chapel.  He  was  fond  of  the  doctrine,  only  he 
could  never  make  up  his  mind  to  repent.  They  felt  my 
heart  and  pulse,  saw  that  I had  no  mortal  wound,  and 
waited  by  for  me  to  revive,  which  the  night-chill  helped 
me  do.  The  mob,  meantime,  had  left  me,  to  go  back  to 
the  yamen  and  try  to  drag  the  missionaries  out  to  kill 
them.  There  were  ten  or  more  Christians  there,  whom 
they  beat  severely ; some  of  them  probably  were  killed, 
but  they  did  not  get  at  the  missionaries. 

“ My  benefactors  helped  me  up  and  took  me  back  to 
the  yamen,  and  wanted  to  lay  me  inside  where  I had  been 
before,  but  the  yamen  men  would  not  admit  me  on  any 
terms.  ‘ Suppose  he  should  die  here,  who  would  be  sup- 
posed to  have  killed  him  ? ’ But  they  gave  the  two  men 
my  horse,  clothes,  bedding,  cash-bag,  and  my  dispatch, 
and  while  one  of  them  led  my  horse  the  other  one  carried 
me  on  his  back  outside  the  city.  Between  them  they 
helped  me  on  the  horse,  though  I was  so  weak  and  faint 
that  unless  supported  by  one  while  the  other  led  the  ani- 
mal I could  not  have  sat  on  him.  They  went  with  me  all 
the  way  to  an  inn,  where  we  happened  to  meet  the  cook 
of  the  missionary  family.  We  dared  not  stay  there,  so 
they  soon  all  helped  me  on  the  horse  again. 

“ The  cook  returned  to  his  home  in  Fen  Chou  Fu,  and 
the  man  from  the  city  went  with  me  all  the  way  to  the 
end  of  the  first  day’s  journey.  On  the  way,  at  a town 
forty  li  from  the  city,  I met  travellers  who  told  me  that 
that  morning  thirteen  foreigners  had  been  killed  near 
So  P’ing  Fu.  I heard  this  at  two  different  times,  and 
am  sure  it  is  true.  They  were  probably  manacled,  and 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


708 

could  make  no  resistance.  I gave  the  men  who  escorted 
me  some  clothes  for  their  kindness,  as  I had  no  money. 
In  my  feeble  condition  I was  three  days  in  getting  to 
Ying  Chou. 

“ When  at  a town  forty  li  away  from  there  I was  told 
that  it  was  useless  to  go  back,  as  the  place  had  been 
destroyed  on  the  third  of  the  sixth  moon  (June  29th). 
I heard  also  that  my  mother  and  others  had  been  sent  by 
the  Magistrate  in  a cart  to  So  P’ing  Fu,  but  that  she  had 
been  overtaken  by  the  Boxers  half  a day’s  journey  distant, 
brought  back,  and  herself,  with  my  brother,  sister,  my 
little  child  and  an  old  lady  named  Wu  (my  wife  had  died 
in  the  second  moon)  buried  alive.  Not  only  this,  but  the 
head  yamen-runner  who  had  escorted  them  was  also 
thrown  into  the  fire,  the  cart  burned,  the  mule  killed 
and  thrown  into  the  flames,  as  well  as  the  dog  and  chick- 
ens of  the  yard  I lived  in.  People  were  not  tied,  but 
just  thrown  into  the  fire  loose  and  driven  back  whenever 
they  tried  to  get  out.  It  was  a slow  and  a bitter  death, 
which  I do  not  like  to  think  of. 

“ All  the  church  members  were  captured  at  the  same 
time,  except  my  brother  who  used  to  do  a little  trade 
and  sell  Christian  books  on  his  own  account,  and  was 
away  from  home  at  the  time.  The  Magistrate  was  in- 
formed of  these  events,  and  did  his  best  to  save  the  life  of 
his  own  yamen  servants,  but  was  told  that  if  he  pressed 
the  matter  he  himself  would  be  thrown  into  the  fire  too. 

“ Notwithstanding  these  dreadful  stories  1 could  not 
give  up  the  idea  of  returning  to  see  for  myself  if  this 
was  true, — and  there  was  the  horse  to  be  taken  to  the 
yamen.  So  I went  on  by  myself.  About  ten  li  from  the 
city  a band  of  forty  or  more  Boxers  set  on  me,  and  rec- 
ognizing me  with  glee,  ordered  me  to  get  off  the  horse, 
tied  me  tightly  and  dragged  me  on  to  the  city.  They 


FIRE  AND  SWORD  IN  SHANSI  709 

called  their  Head-master  of  Boxers,  who  happened  to  be 
a tinker,  whose  occupation  was  mending  iron  kettles.  He 
could  not  even  read,  but  now  he  was  a ‘ Head-master.’ 
The  Magistrate  soon  had  my  arrival  reported  to  him, 
and  heard  that  the  Head-master  was  trying  the  case.  The 
Magistrate  sent  a polite  invitation  to  the  Head-master  to 
come  to  him,  which  he  did. 

“ Then  the  Magistrate  said  that  he  had  all  along  felt 
grave  doubts  whether  these  were  true  Boxers,  and 
whether  they  could,  as  pretended,  keep  out  arrows  and 
bullets.  He  now  proposed  to  test  this.  ‘ Let  your  men 
go  through  their  spells,  make  themselves  invulnerable  if 
they  can,  and  I will  attack  them  with  guns.  If  you  are 
not  hurt,  you  may  kill  the  courier  Wang  in  any  way 
you  like;  you  are  true  Boxers  and  I will  be  one  too; 
otherwise  I shall  know  that  you  are  not  the  true  Boxers, 
and  your  claim  is  a fraud.’  The  Head-master  had  the 
Boxers  from  one  village  or  region  only  with  him,  but 
he  thought  it  over,  and  as  it  seemed  a fair  proposition  he 
assented,  but  wished  himself  not  to  be  in  the  ranks  but 
to  one  side,  so  that  he  could  tell  when  the  Spirits  had 
really  arrived.  He  also  insisted  that  the  test  should  not 
begin  until  he  announced  that  the  Spirits  had  arrived. 
To  this  the  Magistrate  agreed. 

“ By  this  time  it  was  late  at  night — nearly  midnight — 
but,  the  story  having  got  out,  the  whole  city  was  there 
with  torches  and  lanterns  to  see  the  spectacle.  There  was 
a Chen  Wu  Temple  on  the  city  wall,  and  in  front  of  that 
the  Boxers  were  drawn  up  making  their  passes  in  the  air 
and  otherwise  practising  for  the  trial. 

“ Most  of  the  many  onlookers  were  below  the  wall  in  a 
good  position  to  see.  The  four  yamen  men  that  the  Mag- 
istrate had  appointed  to  guard  me  wanted  to  see  and 
loosed  me,  so  that  we  could  all  look  on  together.  The 


710 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Magistrate  had  given  careful  directions  and  looked  after 
the  loading  of  the  guns  himself  with  balls  as  well  as 
powder.  Foreseeing  that  there  was  to  be  trouble  he  had 
engaged  two  hundred  experts  who  could  fight,  wrestle 
and  shoot,  to  be  his  guards,  and  it  was  these  men  that  he 
set  against  the  Boxers.  They  waited  until  the  Head-mas- 
ter cried  ‘Shcn  lai,  la’  (The  spirits  have  come),  when  the 
Magistrate,  who  had  a gun  himself,  gave  the  order  ' K'ai 
ch’iang’  (Open  fire).  Four  or  five  of  the  Boxers  were 
killed  outright,  six  or  seven  were  hurt  so  that  they  fell 
over  the  city  wall,  and  not  a single  man  among  them  was 
without  a wound.  Then  they  all  scattered. 

“ The  Magistrate  now  summoned  me  and  told  me  how 
he  had  been  unable  to  protect  his  own  yamen  headman, 
and  that  it  was  not  safe  for  me  to  remain.  He  gave  me 
twenty  ounces  of  silver  and  some  brass  cash,  together 
with  an  official  letter  which  I was  to  take  to  T’ai  Yuan 
Fu  (where  I expected  to  go),  mainly  as  a protection  to 
me  in  travelling.  Although  very  unfit  to  ride  a horse 
or  even  to  move  at  all,  I went  away  that  night.  We  then 
knew  nothing  about  the  attitude  of  the  Governor  toward 
the  missionaries,  or  I should  never  have  thought  of  going 
in  that  direction. 

“ After  about  thirty  li  I got  into  serious  trouble. 
There  was  a crowd  at  a large  village  who  suspected  me, 
and  were  sure  that  I was  a follower  of  foreigners.  They 
accused  me  of  having  little  figures  of  men  cut  out  of  yel- 
low paper,  and  foreign  bewildering  medicines  about  me, 
and  searched  me  to  see.  In  this  way  they  found  my 
silver,  and  also  the  official  letter.  It  was  nothing  but  the 
latter  that  saved  my  life.  Then  the  crowd  was  divided, 
some  crying:  ‘ Kill  him  anyway  and  be  done  with  him ; ’ 
while  the  rest  said:  ‘He  is  a courier,  let  him  go  on  his 
official  route ; it  is  none  of  our  business.’  In  this  way 


FIRE  AND  SWORD  IN  SHANSI 


711 


they  wrangled  for  a whole  half  day,  and  some  well- 
intentioned  people  spoke  a good  word  for  me.  In  almost 
every  mob  there  are  some  of  this  kind ; not  all  are  the 
very  worst. 

“ I learned  afterwards,  what  I did  not  then  suspect,  that 
there  was  a little  party  who  privately  agreed  that  it  was 
best  to  let  me  go,  and  then  they  would  pursue  me  on  their 
own  account,  rob  and  kill  me,  and  divide  the  silver 
among  them.  I went  on  as  far  as  I could,  and  had  got 
seven  or  eight  li  when  some  men  came  running  after  me, 
crying  out  that  I must  leave  the  big  road  and  take  a 
byway,  for  there  was  a band  of  men  just  behind  intend- 
ing to  chase  and  kill  me,  who  were  armed  with  swords  and 
guns.  This  perplexed  me  very  much,  and  I was  not  sure 
but  this  was  a plot  to  kill  me.  They  were  very  urgent, 
so  I yielded,  and  left  the  road  where  there  was  a pass  in 
front  and  a mountain  near.  It  was  not  a cart  road,  but 
for  pack-mules  only.  I came  to  a village  and  begged 
them  to  let  me  rest  there  for  a time,  but  they  would  have 
nothing  to  do  with  me. 

“But  at  another  small  village  an  old  man  was  kind  to 
me,  and  advised  me  against  going  to  T’ai  Yuan  Fu,  which 
was  800  or  900  li,  while  it  was  only  600  or  so  to  Pao 
Ting  Fu,  the  capital  of  Chihli.  Here  I stayed  for  three 
days  until  the  pursuers  would  have  all  gone  back,  and 
then  I made  a detour  around  the  mountain  and  regained 
the  main  road.  After  this  I went  to  Wu  T’ai  Hsien, 
where  the  famous  mountain  is,  escorted  by  a man  who 
was  sent  by  my  village  friends,  with  whom  I had  to  share 
my  silver,  so  that  I had  very  little  left.  Beyond  this,  at  a 
place  called  Tai  Ving,  I met  the  Boxers  again,  and  was 
once  more  examined.  Here  I told  a different  story  from 
the  former  one,  and  said  I was  a trader  returning  home.  I 
had  torn  up  the  official  document  which  would  now  have 


712 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


implicated  me.  Not  to  have  told  different  stories  at  dif- 
ferent times  would  have  been  impossible ; there  was  really 
no  help  for  it.  Finding  that  Boxers  were  worse  and 
worse  the  further  on  I went,  I resolved  to  turn  back  into 
the  mountains  again,  120  li  to  a city  named  Fu  P’ing.  I 
did  not  then  know  the  characters,  but  as  ‘ Fu  ’ means  hap- 
piness, and  ‘ P’ing  ’ peace,  I thought  the  Lord  was  open- 
ing a way  to  both,  and  though  the  first  character  was 
wrong,  I did  get  relief.  I told  my  story  to  the  inn-keeper, 
and  he  advised  me  to  do  a little  trading  with  what  small 
funds  I had  left. 

“ There  was  a neighbour  of  his  who  knew  how  to  make 
twisted  dough-nuts  fried  in  oil,  and  I got  to  know  him, 
gave  all  my  things  to  him  as  security,  and  did  a small 
business  in  this  way  with  him  for  more  than  two  months. 
There  were  no  Boxers  at  all  in  that  place.  When  it 
came  to  the  8th  moon,  I thought  I might  go  on.  In 
that  time  I had  cleared  a string  and  a half  of  cash,  and 
bought  a good  many  things  besides.  I had  no  adven- 
tures on  the  way  to  Pao  Ting  Fu,  and  there  I heard  that 
all  the  foreign  buildings  had  been  burned,  and  many 
church  members  killed.  I did  not  hear  of  the  murder  of 
any  foreigners  there.  On  the  way  to  Peking  the  Sikh 
soldiers  took  away  the  money  of  myself  and  the  man  who 
came  down  with  me.  It  is  a great  joy  to  me  to  see  so 
many  Christians  together  again,  and  to  tell  and  to  hear 
of  the  Lord’s  mercies.” 

Note  — The  following  are  the  names  of  the  missionaries  mur- 
dered at  So  P ing  Fu,  so  far  as  known  — 

Of  the  Swedish  Union,  Mr.  and  Mrs  S A.  Persson.  Mr.  N. 
Carleson,  Mr.  O.  A.  L.  Larsson,  Mr  G.  E.  Karlberg,  Miss  J. 
Lundell,  Miss  J.  Engvall,  Miss  M.  Hedlund,  Miss  A.  Johannsson. 

Of  the  Christian  and  Missionary  Alliance,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C. 
Plombergand  child. 


XXXVII 


A TWELVE-MONTH  OF  FOREIGN  OCCUPATION 

IMMEDIATELY  after  the  siege  was  raised,  Peking 
was  divided  among  the  armies  of  invasion  for  pur- 
poses of  patrol  and  as  a base  for  possible  operations 
elsewhere.  The  Russians  and  the  Japanese  appeared  to 
have  the  largest  number  of  troops,  but  as  the  coming 
and  going  was  incessant,  no  accurate  statements  were  pos- 
sible for  more  than  a day  at  a time. 

In  about  a month  it  was  suddenly  announced  that  the 
Russian  forces  were  to  be  withdrawn,  and,  soon  after,  the 
Russian  Legation  actually  departed  for  Tientsin,  where 
it  remained  for  a short  time  and  then  returned,  its  lead 
not  being  followed  by  any  other  Power.  It  was  evident 
that  the  occupation  of  Manchuria  was  causing  a great 
deal  of  trouble,  and  that  if  other  armies  could  be  per- 
suaded to  leave  Peking  at  the  suggestion  of  Russia,  the 
latter  would  gain  the  credit  for  doing  China  a good  turn, 
while  at  the  same  time  serving  her  own  interests. 

For  the  remaining  months,  until  the  end  of  the  year, 
there  was  an  increasing  series  of  military  expeditions  in 
every  direction  from  Tientsin  and  from  Peking,  some 
of  which  were  on  a large  scale  and  fully  reported,  while 
others  attracted  little  attention.  The  one  which  was 
of  the  chief  interest  was  that  to  Pao  Ting  Fu,  starting 
both  from  Tientsin  and  Peking,  the  intention  being  to 
arrive  simultaneously.  The  result  illustrated  the  inherent 


7i3 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


7*4 

weakness  of  a campaign  in  which  eight  distinct  sets  of 
armies  bore  a hand.  The  French  from  Tientsin  arrived 
just  a week  before  the  British,  the  German,  and  the  Ital- 
ian contingent,  and  it  was  currently  reported  that  they 
exacted  a heavy  “ ransom  ” on  their  own  account  for 
sparing  the  city.  Whether  this  is  true  it  appears  impos- 
sible to  ascertain  with  certainty.  Military  operations 
anywhere  are  hard  to  follow  and  the  facts  difficult  to 
verify.  In  this  case  they  are  at  least  eight  times  as  ob- 
scure as  usual,  and  some  of  them  do  not  appear  to  be 
objects  of  knowledge  at  all. 

It  was  soon  perceived  that  if  any  one  first-class  Power 
had  been  dealing  with  China,  progress  would  have  been 
definite  and  steady.  In  the  case  of  two  Powers,  the  de- 
lays were  twice  as  great  and  the  progress  twice  as  slow. 
With  three  Powers  the  friction  was  so  much  increased 
that  the  pace  was  diminished  by  a still  larger  percentage ; 
and  by  the  time  that  all  eight  armies  had  to  be  reckoned 
with,  it  becomes  a complex  and  practically  insoluble  prob- 
lem whether  the  decrease  of  efficiency  has  been  inversely 
as  the  square  of  the  number  of  Powers  involved,  or  as 
the  cube  of  the  number  of  Major-Generals. 

At  Pao  Ting  Fu  an  investigation  was  held  into  the 
behaviour  of  the  Provincial  Treasurer,  Ting  Jung,  who 
had  been  the  patron  of  the  Boxer  movement  for  the  whole 
year.  As  a result  of  that  trial,  he  was  condemned 
to  be  beheaded,  together  with  the  Tartar  General  of  the 
City  and  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  camp,  who  had 
refused  protection  to  foreigners,  and  whose  soldiers  had 
stood  idly  by  while  the  burning  of  the  Mission  premises 
and  the  slaughter  of  missionaries  was  in  progress.  Of 
all  the  acts  of  the  military  since  the  capture  of  Peking, 
this  is  the  one  most  righteous  in  itself  and  most  salutary 
in  its  result,  yet  it  has  been  perversely  criticised  as  a 


FOREIGN  OCCUPATION 


7J5 


bloodthirsty  cry  for  “ vengeance,”  unworthy  of  Western 
nations ! 

The  German  expedition  to  Kalgan,  four  days  to  the 
northwest  of  Peking,  was  widely  known  by  reason  of  the 
accidental  suffocation  of  one  of  the  high  military  officers 
by  the  fumes  of  charcoal.  What  it  amounted  to  it  would 
be  difficult  to  say  with  precision.  There  was  a raid  in  the 
direction  of  the  Imperial  Tombs,  for  moral  effect,  with 
results  hard  to  summarize  beyond  the  exasperation  of  the 
Chinese  and  the  demoralization  of  the  troops.  It  is  al- 
ways a delicate  matter  to  keep  soldiers  under  control 
when  in  an  enemy’s  country. 

The  circumstances  of  the  Boxer  uprising  appear  to 
have  convinced  the  commanders  of  the  armies  of  in- 
vasion that  the  rules  of  international  law  had  no  appli- 
cation to  China  at  that  time.  There  is,  moreover,  a con- 
tagious demoralization  of  fighting  men  when  they  per- 
ceive others  acting  in  a lawless  manner.  War  is  itself 
■a  repeal  of  law ; and  of  the  extent  to  which  it  shall  be 
abrogated  the  soldiers  themselves  must  to  a large  ex- 
tent be  judges.  If  this,  or  anything  like  it,  was  true  of 
the  larger  expeditions  sent  out  incessantly,  it  was  far 
more  so  of  those  minor  raids  of  which  the  public  knows 
little  or  nothing. 

It  would  be  a gross  misrepresentation  to  affirm  that 
all  the  commanders  or  all  the  soldiers  of  any  section  of 
the  allied  armies  have  been  lawless  and  violent,  for  in 
that  case  the  results  would  have  been  such  as  took  place 
along  the  banks  of  the  Amur  River,  where  helpless,  in- 
offensive villagers  by  the  thousand  were  slaughtered  and 
their  bodies  thrown  into  the  broad  stream  until  it  was 
positively  choked  with  them.  But  armies,  like  individ- 
uals, will  be  judged,  not  by  the  best  but  by  the  worst 
which  they  have  done;  and  in  this  case  the  worst  must 


7 1 6 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


be  admitted  to  have  been  very  bad  indeed.  There  have 
been  times  when  it  has  seemed  as  if  the  foreign  troops 
had  come  to  northern  China  for  the  express  purpose  of 
committing  within  the  shortest  time  as  many  violations 
as  possible  of  the  sixth,  the  seventh,  and  the  eighth  Com- 
mandments. The  combined  result  has  been  such  a state 
of  chaos  in  many  districts  as  is  at  once  incredible  and 
indescribable.  Of  the  promiscuous  murder  of  non-com- 
batants there  is  overwhelming  evidence,  which  need  not 
be  cited.  The  only  defence  of  this  which  is  ordinarily 
made  is  to  reply : “ Oh  yes,  of  course,  war  is  always  like 
that — what  do  you  expect  it  to  be  ? ” 

Of  the  looting  and  wholesale  robbery  with  violence, 
both  in  expeditions  and  in  districts  which  have  been  vis- 
ited by  small  military  parties,  much  has  been  written, 
but  it  will  be  long  before  the  whole  terrible  catalogue  of 
crimes  is  known.  Long  lists  of  the  exactions  made  on 
Chinese  officials  and  cities  could  be  (and  have  been)  made 
out,  showing  that  the  total  sums  extorted  for  alleged 
“ protection  ” and  “ ransom  ” have  been  sufficient  to  im- 
poverish the  country  for  a long  period.  In  some  instances 
the  same  cities  and  towns  have  been  visited  repeatedly 
with  reduplicated  demands ; and  the  fact  that  the  expedi- 
tionary “ spheres  of  influence  ” have  been  vaguely  de- 
fined and  imperfectly  regarded,  so  that  the  same  city 
might  be  raided  by  different  sets  of  soldiers,  has  made  the 
condition  of  large  regions  more  or  less  anarchic. 

Two  expeditions  should  be  mentioned  which  stand  out 
especially  as  examples  of  what  has  been  already  men- 
tioned, each  under  the  conduct  of  the  Germans.  Of  these 
the  first  was  to  Ts’ang  Chou,  a city  about  sixty  miles 
south  of  Tientsin,  on  the  Grand  Canal.  The  Magistrate 
of  the  city  had  always  been  friendly  to  the  foreigners, 
who  had  just  removed  the  station  of  the  London  Mission 


FOREIGN  OCCUPATION 


717 


to  the  vicinity  and  put  up  extensive  buildings.  The  Chi- 
nese military  officer  in  charge  of  the  Chihli  troops  was 
General  Mei,  who  was  not  only  on  the  best  of  terms  with 
the  various  foreigners  living  in  that  part  of  the  province, 
but  had  made  it  his  principal  business  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  previous  twelve  months  to  fight  the  Boxers 
whenever  and  wherever  they  could  be  found,  and  had 
probably  done  more  to  defeat,  disperse,  and  discourage 
them  than  any  other  man  in  China. 

The  Germans  made  a raid  upon  Ts’ang  Chou,  plun- 
dered the  yamens  of  the  Magistrate  and  that  of  General 
Mei,  who  prudently  retired  to  a distance  upon  their  ap- 
proach. They  released  all  the  Boxer  prisoners  whom  they 
found  in  the  city  jail,  returning  to  Tientsin  in  triumph, 
whence  a despatch  was  sent  to  Shanghai  informing  the 
world  of  “ A Successful  Attack,”  saying  that  “ the  Ger- 
mans have  routed  General  Mei’s  forces  at  Ts’ang  Chou, 
looted  his  baggage,  and  killed  forty-three  men.” 

To  those  cognizant  of  the  facts  this  inexcusable  folly 
boded  no  good  for  the  denizens  of  such  territory  as  may 
hereafter  come  under  German  rule  in  Shantung  or  else- 
where. Is  it  any  wonder  that  General  Mei  is  said  to 
have  complained  that  “ on  all  eight  sides  I have  no  face 
[self-respect  and  respect  of  others]  left?  ” 

In  the  district  city  of  Yung  Ch’ing  Hsien,  between 
Tientsin  and  Peking,  where  Messrs.  Norman  and  Robin- 
son were  killed  early  in  June,  the  Germans  made  a visit 
and  killed  nearly  a hundred  and  fifty  persons,  with  no 
loss  to  themselves,  under  circumstances  so  indefensible 
that  the  British  remitted  the  monetary  fines  which  had 
been  imposed  on  the  city,  and  employed  the  money  in  re- 
lieving the  acute  distress  caused  by  the  barbarity  of  the 
Germans ! When  attention  was  called  to  these  and 
numerous  similar  acts  of  the  Germans,  their  military  au- 


7i8 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


thorities  were  greatly  stirred  up  against  Dr.  Morrison, 
the  correspondent  of  the  London  “ Times,”  who  had  first 
formulated  the  feelings  of  those  acquainted  with  the  facts. 
The  result  is  supposed  to  have  been,  not  the  threatened 
“ court  martial  ” of  Dr.  Morrison,  who  had  purposely 
understated  the  facts,  but  the  imposition  of  a certain 
amount  of  restraint  upon  German  military  action. 

As  the  result  of  all  that  gloomy  winter  one  of  the 
lessons  which  have  been  impressed  upon  the  Chinese  in 
varied  but  convincing  forms  is  the  moral  inferiority  of 
foreigners  to  Chinese.  This  the  Chinese  had  always 
known  and  believed,  but  had  never  been  able  to  demon- 
strate. 

Many  years  ago  a son  of  Li  Hung  Chang,  while  under 
a foreign  instructor  in  Tientsin  told  him  that  his  father 
had  once  said  that  formerly  he  himself  had  supposed 
Westerners  as  a whole  to  be  more  honest  and  more  truth- 
ful than  Chinese,  but  his  long  and  intimate  experience  of 
their  ways  had  taught  him  the  opposite.  And,  indeed,  in 
the  item  of  struggles  for  contracts  with  the  Chinese  Gov- 
ernment, the  Syndicates  who  had  need  to  deal  with  the 
Viceroy,  have  not  invariably  illustrated  the  highest  qual- 
ities of  the  civilization  whence  they  sprung. 

But  with  the  occupation  of  China  by  foreign  armies  the 
veil — if  there  was  one — has  been  torn  away.  The  extent 
of  the  lawlessness  committed  by  Western  troops  in  China 
has  probably  been  greatly  exaggerated  in  the  reports  to 
the  press,  but  the  conditions  at  the  beginning  were  hor- 
ribly bad,  though  they  steadily  improved,  partly  no  doubt 
in  consequence  of  the  “ bright  sunlight  of  publicity  ” 
which  is  nowhere  without  its  deterrent  force. 

Making  all  abatements,  however,  the  impression  upon 
the  Chinese,  who  only  know  or  can  know  the  facts  through 
the  repercussion  of  rumour  and  through  distorted  native 


FOREIGN  OCCUPATION 


7I9 


journalistic  media,  is  distinctly  to  lower  the  not  too  high 
estimate  which  the  Chinese  had  previously  placed  upon 
Western  character  and  morals.  For  them  there  is  a 
simple  and  easy  explanation — foreigners  have  never  en- 
joyed the  blessing  of  a thorough  mastering  of  the  contents 
of  the  Four  Confucian  Books,  and  the  Five  Confucian 
Classics.  While  they  recognize  with  clearness  that  the 
worst  that  has  happened  in  China  is  but  a fraction  of 
what  the  Chinese  would  have  themselves  perpetrated  in 
any  foreign  country  which  they  might  have  overrun,  the 
fact  that  Western  nations  have  always  assumed  the  moral 
inferiority  of  the  Chinese,  and  have  posed  as  their  in- 
structors, not  in  abstract  principles  only  but  in  their  daily 
exemplification,  has  added  to  the  sting  of  the  disillusion. 

The  Chinese  have  also  been  enabled  by  these  months 
of  foreign  occupation  distinctly  to  perceive  what  all  dis- 
cerning persons  predicted,  that  foreigners  have  no  ade- 
quate talents  for  dealing  with  the  Chinese  on  a large 
scale.  The  ancient  and  compact  civilization  of  China 
has  been  in  operation  for  millenniums,  and  there  is  a 
way  and  a rule  for  everything.  The  Westerner  comes 
in  with  calm  confidence  that  he  will  show  them  a thing 
(or  perhaps  two),  and  he  does.  The  Chinese  adapt  them- 
selves to  the  sinuosities  of  the  Occidental  temperament  as 
the  water  fits  the  boat  which  rushes  through  it,  or  as  the 
air  closes  about  the  flying  projectile.  But  when  the  boat 
or  the  bullet  has  passed,  the  water  and  the  air  are  in  situ, 
ready  for  any  number  more  of  the  same  kind. 

Despite  the  jaunty  way  in  which  even  those  of  long 
experience  in  China  and  the  Far  East  speak  of  the  facil- 
ity of  governing  China  through  foreign  hands,  and  al- 
ways cite  “ India  ” in  evidence,  it  is  plain  to  the  dis- 
criminating observer  that  there  is  really  no  just  analogy 
between  the  two.  India  is  a museum  of  races  and  lan- 


7 20 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


guages,  while  China  is  essentially  a unit  in  its  ideas  and 
its  ideals,  as  well  as  in  its  history,  language,  and  insti- 
tutions. It  ought  to  be  understood  by  this  time  that 
without  the  consent  of  the  Chinese  themselves  no  Power 
on  earth  can  really  rule  them,  though  many  Powers  may 
overrun  and  endeavour  to  control  them.  If  the  Chinese, 
during  this  year  of  stress  and  strain  have  succeeded  in 
finding  out  what  “ the  Powers  ” want  to  do  with  the 
Chinese  Empire  when  it  is  within  their  combined  “ sphere 
of  influence,”  they  have  learned  more  than  any  one  else 
knows  or  for  some  time  to  come  is  likely  to  know. 

The  inevitable  division  among  foreign  councils  has  been 
familiar  to  the  Chinese  ever  since  they  have  known  for- 
eigners at  all,  and  the  Chinese  and  the  Turkish  Govern- 
ments have  united  (and  competed)  in  their  capacity  and 
talent  for  making  the  most  effective  use  of  that  fact 
against  them  all.  But  the  phenomena  of  the  past  year, 
when  all  the  Powers  had  the  greatest  possible  motives 
for  combination,  which  lasted  until  the  Legations  were 
relieved  (and  no  longer),  have  taught  the  Chinese  anew 
that  in  disunion  is  feebleness. 

That  China  will  escape  from  much  that  at  first  appeared 
inevitable  as  a punishment  is  as  certain  as  that  eleven 
different  Nations  have  been  worrying  at  her  doors,  await- 
ing the  settlement  of  their  claims  and  due  “ guarantees  ” 
for  the  future.  The  Chinese  can  and  will  give  them  all, 
for  in  that  line  they  have  seldom  failed,  and  in  this  hour 
of  their  greatest  distress  are  not  likely  to  do  so.  An  in- 
dividual Chinese  will  and  does  make  the  most  abundant 
promises,  when  he  is  in  trouble,  as  to  what  he  will  do  if 
only  he  is  allowed  another  day  of  grace.  The  Chinese 
Government,  which  has  been  in  a tighter  place  than  any 
of  its  subjects  ever  imagined  it  could  be,  can  do  no  other 
than  adopt  this  policy,  while  the  “ experts  ” show  in  what 


FOREIGN  OCCUPATION 


721 


way  this  can  be  accomplished — as  very  possibly  it  can  be. 
Whether  it  will  be,  is  another  matter,  for  the  future,  even 
in  the  fixed  and  immobile  Orient,  is  full  of  pleasant  sur- 
prises. Still,  like  the  cheerful  Chinese,  we  shall  hope  for 
the  best,  and  will  await  the  result  with  what  patience  we 
may. 

The  Empress  Dowager  has  recently  been  issuing  the 
most  admirable  Imperial  Edicts  on  the  subject  of  the 
protection  of  missionaries  and  of  converts.  “ The  failure 
to  do  this  last  year  was  contrary  to  our  wish  often  ex- 
pressed, and  hence  many  heads  have  fallen.  Hereafter 
there  must  be  no  failure  in  this  direction.”  How  repent- 
ant this  sounds,  and  how  hollow  as  the  supple  bamboo, 
which  yields  to  the  strongest  pressure  in  any  given  direc- 
tion, and  upon  removal  of  the  same  instantly  resumes  its 
former  position ! 

At  Washington  it  is  the  fashion  to  look  at  the  Chinese 
situation  through  the  colored  glasses  furnished  by  the 
clever  Mr.  Wu,  whose  presence  abroad  at  this  crisis  is  to 
China  the  greatest  stroke  of  good  fortune.  It  is  easy  for 
him  to  represent  that  the  Chinese  Government  is  more 
than  ready  to  take  over  the  functions  of  office  everywhere, 
and  that  it  is  quite  capable  of  keeping  order.  But  it 
cannot  possibly  be  comprehended  in  Western  lands 
how  utterly  the  Government  of  China  is  dependent  upon 
the  temper  of  the  officials  and  of  the  people  to  get  its 
orders  executed.  The  great  storm  which  has  swept  over 
the  face  of  China  was  raised  by  complex  and  long-con- 
tinued causes,  but  it  will  not  subside  in  a month  nor  in 
a year,  and,  unless  all  signs  are  deceptive,  the  tranquillity 
which  will  be  everywhere  reported  after  an  interval  will 
frequently  be  found  to  be  only  superficial. 

During  the  period  in  January  and  February  when  the 
Court  seemed  to  be  hesitating  to  grant  the  irrevocable  de- 


722 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


mands  for  the  punishment  of  the  more  important  guilty 
parties,  the  influence  of  that  hesitation  is  known  to  have 
been  felt  immediately  in  the  military  camps  in  Shantung, 
under  the  command  of  Governor  Yuan  Shih  K’ai.  They 
were  apparently  ordered  to  be  ready  to  march  northward 
at  an  early  day,  and  it  was  popularly  supposed  that  a 
large  body  of  southern  troops  had  been  somewhere  gath- 
ered to  support  the  advance,  which  was  to  be  a death- 
struggle  with  the  foreigner.  Even  if  the  army  was 
beaten,  it  would  at  least  make  the  whole  country  a waste, 
and  so  useless  to  the  invader.  While  this  was  probably 
mere  rumour,  or  at  most  a preparation  for  a possible  con- 
tingency, and  perhaps  nothing  but  empty  bluster,  in 
either  case  it  equally  showed  the  determined  bent  of  the 
Chinese  mind. 

The  wild  passions  which  have  been  raised  are  not  to  be 
spirited  out  of  existence  by  a mere  edict  announcing  that 
peace  has  been  arranged  for  all  within  the  Four  Seas, 
for  the  facts  which  underlie  the  troubles  have  been  at 
last  ground  into  the  Chinese  national  consciousness  as 
never  before.  It  is  a significant  circumstance  that,  si- 
multaneously with  this  military  programme,  the  Shantung 
Boxers  have  again  begun  to  assert  themselves,  holding  a 
formal  gun-drill  (such  as  last  year  announced  actual  hos- 
tilities) at  a village  within  twenty  miles  of  the  home 
of  the  writer  of  these  lines.  That  fact  was  accompanied 
by  the  open  proclamation  of  an  intention  to  resume  the 
operations  of  last  year,  under  the  directions  of  the  “ Great 
Fairy,”  who  superintended  them.  This  dignitary  has  of- 
ficially informed  the  Boxers  that  in  the  previous  out- 
breaks they  had  squandered  their  opportunity  by  requir- 
ing ransom  money,  and  by  the  spoliation  of  the  houses  of 
Christians,  whereas  this  time  all  that  was  to  be  absolutely 
forbidden,  and  in  the  new  attack  every  Christian  was  to 


VICINITY  OF  LEGATION  STREET,  PEKING 


FOREIGN  OCCUPATION 


723 


be  killed,  as  well  as  the  chickens  and  the  dogs,  that  there 
might  be  no  root  left  alive  when  the  grass  should  be 
cut  up. 

These  renewed  attempts,  with  the  wide-spread  brig- 
andage that  attends  them,  may  be  purely  local.  But  they 
are  not  the  less  worthy  of  notice  as  an  indication  of  what 
many  of  the  Chinese  would  like  to  do  were  it  within  their 
power.  There  is  no  reasonable  doubt  of  the  intentions 
of  Governor  Yuan  and  other  officers  like-minded,  but  here 
again  we  must  reckon  with  the  “ personal  equation  ” on 
an  enormous  scale.  No  Chinese  and  no  Manchu,  what- 
ever his  rank,  can  conduct  the  work  of  his  position  against 
the  united  opposition  of  his  subordinates.  As  the  Chi- 
nese saying  goes,  “ One  can  manage  with  Pluto,  but  it  is 
with  the  small  devils  that  the  trouble  comes."  Yuan  has 
issued  the  most  stern  proclamations,  offering  incentives 
and  positive  rewards  for  the  total  suppression  of  troubles 
with  foreigners  for  a period  of  three  years,  but  in  many 
districts  these  proclamations  remain  unposted,  and  the 
people  are  left  in  ignorance  of  his  utterances. 

Another  feature  of  the  past  twelve-month  has  been  the 
manoeuvring  of  China's  great  antagonist,  Russia,  to  play, 
as  at  other  times,  the  role  of  benevolent  protector.  The 
American  public,  especially,  dislikes  to  entertain  the  small- 
est suspicion  that  it  does  not  apprehend  the  basal  facts 
of  the  Chinese  situation  to  such  an  extent  as  to  render 
the  usual  snap  judgment  safe.  But  it  is  not  strange  that 
the  peculiar  relations  between  the  Chinese  and  the  Rus- 
sian Empires  should  not  have  been  forced  upon  the  notice 
of  the  Americans.  To  an  unprejudiced  spectator  it  is 
clear  that  no  foe  ever  so  gravely  threatened  the  exist- 
ence of  the  Chinese  Government  as  Russia  has  done  and 
is  still  doing,  yet  the  Chinese  while  shrewd  observers  and 
gifted  with  remarkable  insight  into  motives  and  inten- 


724 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


tions,  show  little  apparent  perception  of  the  real  con- 
dition of  their  Empire  as  related  to  their  colossal  neigh- 
bour. Sometimes  Chinese  statesmen,  when  asked  how  it 
is  that  they  have  drifted  into  this  condition,  simply  reply, 
“ What  could  we  do  to  prevent  it  ? ” — an  inquiry  to  which 
it  is  not  easy  to  formulate  a satisfactory  answer. 

All  the  world  was  aroused  during  the  early  spring  to 
the  gravity  of  the  situation  in  regard  to  Russian  domina- 
tion of  Manchuria,  although  what  the  world  proposes  to 
do  about  it  finally,  other  than  to  send  Notes  and  to  pro- 
pose inquiries,  is  not  apparent.  Yet  the  situation  is  not 
inherently  different  from  what  it  has  been  for  some  years, 
except  that  the  folly  of  the  Chinese,  in  their  wanton  at- 
tacks on  Russian  cities  and  settlements,  put  the  handle 
of  the  sword  into  the  hands  of  Russia,  to  use  a Chinese 
phrase — an  advantage  which,  whatever  other  Powers  may 
say  or  do,  she  is  not  likely  to  surrender. 

Ever  since  the  conclusion  of  the  war  with  Japan  in  the 
spring  of  1895  such  a state  of  things  was  distinctly  fore- 
shadowed, but  nothing  was  then  done  about  it.  Lord 
Charles  Beresford  published  in  his  literary  weighty  volume 
on  “ The  Break-up  of  China,”  the  protests  handed  to  him 
by  the  representatives  of  the  British  Municipal  Council 
of  Tientsin,  who  informed  him  that  at  that  time  Man- 
churia was  practically  a Russian  province.  This  was  at 
least  a brevet  fact,  if  it  had  not  then  been  promoted  to 
the  dignity  of  past  history,  but  no  attention  seems  to  have 
been  paid  to  it  in  our  own  country,  except  noting  the 
statement. 

Here  is  a door  the  closing  of  which  will  make  a differ- 
ence of  unknown  millions  of  dollars  in  American  trade, 
and  that  door  shows  signs  of  being  forcibly  slammed  shut. 
The  State  Department  at  Washington  then  secures  writ- 
ten affirmations,  from  a great  variety  of  sources,  that  each 


FOREIGN  OCCUPATION 


725 

of  the  Powers  approves  in  theory  and  will  support  in 
practice  the  plan  of  fastening  the  door  open  on  equal  terms 
to  all.  No  one  Power  more  cordially  assents  to  this  prop- 
osition than  Russia.  It  is  exactly  in  the  line  of  her  policy, 
her  wishes,  and  her  practice.  We  were  all  delighted  to 
have  American  diplomacy  score  a decided  and  a unique 
triumph,  impossible  to  other  Powers  with  a less  pro- 
nouncedly altruistic  history ; and  essays  on  “ The  Open 
Door  in  China  ” filled  the  journals  for  many  months. 
Meantime  Russia  goes  on  with  her  preparations,  and 
when  the  heaven-sent  fatuity  of  the  Boxers  gives  the 
golden  opportunity,  she  knocks  out  the  chocks,  slams  the 
door,  puts  the  key  in  her  military  chest,  posts  a strong 
guard  in  the  province,  warns  off  all  others,  draws  up  an 
agreement  of  a stringent  character  with  China  in  the 
face  of  all  the  Powers,  smiles  blandly  at  the  Anglo-Ger- 
man agreement,  with  which  she  is  in  full  harmony,  and 
cordially  sympathizes  with  the  dictum  of  Daniel  Web- 
ster that  “the  past,  at  least,  is  secure.” 

The  formal  and  merely  nominal  retirement  of  Russia 
from  her  claims  for  the  signature  of  the  Manchurian  Con- 
vention may  be  laid  to  the  partial  agreement  of  some  of 
the  Powers  most  nearly  concerned,  as  well  as  to  the  unex- 
pected expression  of  Chinese  sentiment  all  over  the  Em- 
pire, which  it  is  certainly  not  to  the  interest  of  Russia  to 
antagonize.  That  the  disavowal  of  hostile  intentions  on 
the  part  of  the  great  Empire  of  the  North  means  any- 
thing more  than  the  usual  temporizing,  until  the  times  are 
more  favourable,  no  one  probably  believes,  whatever  for 
diplomatic  purposes  he  may  say  to  the  contrary.  It  is 
an  ancient  and  a significant  Chinese  adage  that  “ A mon- 
key’s hand  drops  no  dates,”  and  the  same  generalization 
applies  to  bears — especially  to  the  species  which  has 
learned  to  be  fond  of  Chinese  dates.  Every  friend  of 


726 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


China  and  of  Japan  must  sympathize  with  the  difficult 
position  of  the  latter  (as  well  as  the  former),  forced  to 
choose  a time  for  the  inevitable  conflict,  the  outcome  of 
which  no  human  intelligence  can  foresee. 

The  list  of  punishments  demanded  by  the  Powers  upon 
guilty  officials  in  consequence  of  their  complicity  in  the 
atrocities  of  last  year,  is  surprisingly  small  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Chinese  themselves,  the  number  of  those  to  be  ex- 
ecuted embracing  less  than  fifteen  persons,  although  about 
240  defenceless  and  innocent  men,  women  and  children, 
of  several  nationalities,  were  deliberately  massacred  by 
official  orders,  largely  in  yamens  or  by  soldiers  detailed 
for  the  purpose.  The  ostentatious  leniency  of  the  Rus- 
sians is  a strange  exhibition  from  a nation  which  could 
tolerate  the  savage  butchery  of  innocent  Chinese  on  the 
banks  of  the  Amur  River. 

When  it  is  remembered  what  these  men  have  done, 
and  with  what  savage  brutality  many  of  them  have  plotted 
to  exterminate  every  foreigner  in  their  jurisdiction,  it 
is  evident  to  every  one  acquainted  with  the  conditions 
that  in  the  New  China,  that  ought  to  ensue  after  peace 
negotiations  have  been  completed,  such  officials  ought  not 
for  a moment  to  be  tolerated.  The  cry  which  appears  to 
be  so  popular  in  the  United  States,  that  to  demand  the 
capital  punishment  of  less  than  two  score  Chinese  offi- 
cials as  a partial  expiation  of  the  deliberate  crime  of  the 
Chinese  Government  is  an  exhibition  of  “ bloodthirsti- 
ness,” betrays  a hopeless  incapacity  to  comprehend  the 
real  conditions  in  China,  and,  what  is  of  more  import- 
ance, to  grasp  the  aspects  in  which  the  matter  must  pre- 
sent itself  to  the  Chinese  mind. 

If  Western  Powers,  whether  moved  by  sentimentality 
or  by  a desire  to  trade  upon  the  supposed  good  will  of  the 
Chinese,  to  be  gained  by  minimizing  the  guilt  of  the 


FOREIGN  OCCUPATION 


727 

guilty,  are  to  slur  over  the  past  and  deal  weakly  with 
those  who  are  not  only  criminals  in  our  eyes  but  in  those 
of  the  Chinese  themselves,  the  inevitable  result  must  be 
to  reawaken  in  all  Chinese  officials  and  people  alike  a 
thorough  contempt  for  Westerners  who  are  so  easily 
hoodwinked.  The  Chinese  will  attribute  the  result  to 
every  motive  but  the  real  one,  and  will  certainly  think  and 
feel  that  Powers  who  have  held  the  sword  in  hand  so  long, 
and  yet  have  failed  to  employ  it  as  Chinese  know  that 
it  ought  to  be  employed,  are  not  to  be  dreaded  in  the  fu- 
ture ; and  it  is  a moral  certainty  that  the  Chinese  will  act 
in  accordance  with  this  view. 

There  was  a special  incongruity  in  this  false  sympathy 
for  Chinese  wrong-doers  when  the  Powers  were  governing 
the  cities  of  Tientsin,  Pao  Ting  Fu,  and  Peking,  and  were 
inflicting  punishments  upon  Chinese  miscreants  in  accord- 
ance with  Chinese  law,  without  reference  to  Western 
codes.  The  Germans  particularly  are  reported  to  have 
cut  off  the  heads  of  many  hundred  Chinese  within  their 
jurisdiction,  many  of  them  for  absolutely  trivial  offenses. 
This  is  regarded  as  simply  a question  of  military  admin- 
istration, and  no  notice  whatever  seems  to  be  taken  of 
it,  while  the  settlement  of  the  penalties  for  the  great  in- 
ternational crime  of  1900  is  hindered  from  sources  the 
most  opposite,  through  selfishness  and  sentimentality. 

In  this  connection  it  is  well  to  mention  that  renewed 
attention  has  just  been  called  in  the  foreign  press  of  China 
to  the  terrible  nature  of  the  sufferings  to  which  the  mar- 
tyred missionaries  were  in  many  cases  subjected.  The 
matter  is  a painful  and  a delicate  one,  especially  in  the 
case  of  the  ladies,  but  the  suspicion  that  there  is  an  effort 
to  suppress  the  facts,  lest  the  knowledge  of  them  should 
lead  to  restrictions  upon  missionary  work  in  the  interior, 
has  only  led  to  the  publication  of  the  most  terribly  shock- 


728 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


ing  details,  said  to  have  been  obtained  from  the  lips  of 
eye-witnesses.  It  is  undoubtedly  better  that  the  whole  truth 
should  be  known,  for  it  must  sooner  or  later  come  to  the 
surface,  and  it  is  only  by  a calm  contemplation  of  all  the 
facts  that  a wise  conclusion  can  be  reached  as  to  what 
ought  to  be  done  to  prevent  a recurrence  of  similar 
atrocities. 

The  prospect  for  such  prevention  is  by  no  means  as 
hopeful  as  it  should  be.  For  ten  months  this  part  of 
China  has  practically  been  embarked  upon  a foreign  fleet, 
tossing  about  in  a stormy  sea.  Now  the  time  has  arrived 
when  the  passengers  and  crew  must  be  transferred  back 
to  the  old  unseaworthy  Chinese  junks  in  which  they  were 
before.  The  gangways  are  all  down,  the  water  is  full  of 
small  sampans  waiting  to  take  men  and  cargo,  but  there 
is  so  much  of  a swell  that  the  exchange  is  not  an  easy 
one  to  effect,  and  some  will  probably  get  drowned. 

The  very  first  step  toward  the  safe  transfer  is  the  re- 
turn of  the  court  to  Peking.  But  that  the  Emperor 
should  return  alone,  though  much  desired  by  foreigners 
and  by  the  most  patriotic  Chinese,  seems  not  to  have  been 
suggested.  This  means,  the  Occidental  reader  will  do 
well  to  bear  in  mind,  that  the  relation  of  the  Empress 
Dowager  to  the  Chinese  Government — a relation  of  essen- 
tial identity — is  exactly  what  it  was  when  one  year  ago 
she  gave  the  order  to  fire  upon  the  Legations.  It  is  not 
known  that  the  question  of  her  right  to  rule  the  Empire 
which  she  has  brought  to  the  verge  of  ruin  and  disrup- 
tion has  been  so  much  as  seriously  considered. 

The  most  melancholy  feature  of  a situation  full  of 
varying  shades  of  colour,  with  a predominance  of  the 
darker  ones,  is  that  the  Powers  have  taken  no  notice  what- 
ever of  the  deposition  of  the  rightful  Emperor,  of  the 
fact  that  his  present  anomalous  relations  to  the  Govern- 


FOREIGN  OCCUPATION 


729 


ment  of  his  Empire  are  unsatisfactory  and  fraught  with 
peril,  that  the  recognized  Heir  Apparent  is  a youth  desti- 
tute of  character,  whose  assumption  of  power  would  prob- 
ably complete  the  ruin  of  the  country  within  a year,  and 
that  the  Empress  Dowager,  who  has  brought  this  condi- 
tion of  things  upon  China  and  the  World,  still  holds  the 
scepter  undisputed  and  irresistible. 

It  is  vain  to  cherish  the  fiction  that  these  circumstances 
have  no  relation  to  anything  which  the  Powers  can  do. 
It  is  these  conditions  which  have  brought  the  present 
crisis,  and  to  ignore  them  is  to  invite  future  disaster,  as 
is  clearly  foreseen  and  constantly  predicted  by  the  dis- 
cerning. Yet  as  a year  ago  at  this  time,  nothing  is  done 
about  the  perils  visibly  imminent,  and  the  hopeless  dis- 
agreement of  the  Powers  probably  renders  action  of  real 
unity  impossible. 

The  Rev.  Timothy  Richard  has  visited  Peking  at  the 
request  of  the  Governor  of  Shansi  and  the  Chinese  Peace 
Commissioners,  and  has  drawn  up  a scheme  for  the  settle- 
ment of  the  Protestant  cases  in  that  province  which  is  so 
conspicuously  fair  and  just  (and  so  utterly  in  contrast 
to  the  Roman  Catholic  demands)  that  the  Chinese  press 
comments  upon  it  with  uniform  approbation.  In  consid- 
eration of  the  fact  that  the  people  were  acting  under 
orders  in  their  riots  of  last  year,  he  suggests  that  one 
Boxer  leader  in  each  district  be  punished  as  a warning; 
that  the  losses  of  converts  be  provided  for  and  pro- 
vision made  for  widows  and  orphans ; that  the  province 
raise  half  a million  taels,  one-tenth  to  be  paid  each  year, 
for  the  establishment  of  schools  to  enlighten  the  people 
of  Shansi,  thus  avoiding  delusions  in  the  future — one 
educated  foreigner  and  one  educated  Chinese  to  manage 
the  business ; monumental  stones  to  be  erected  wherever 
converts  were  killed ; the  officials,  gentry,  scholars,  and 


73° 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


people  to  receive  courteously  missionaries  whenever  again 
sent,  and  apologize  for  the  past ; equal  treatment  to  be 
granted  converts  and  non-converts  in  everything ; and 
lists  to  be  kept  of  the  names  of  rioters,  that  they  may  be 
punished  if  they  again  offend.  These  principles  have 
been  agreed  to  by  the  representatives  of  the  Protestant 
societies  working  in  Shansi — the  China  Inland  Mission, 
the  American  Board,  the  English  Baptist,  the  Gospel 
Mission,  and  an  independent  organization. 

These  suggestions  were  submitted  to  Li  Hung  Chang, 
who  is  said  to  have  been  exceedingly  pleased  with  the 
moderation  of  the  demands,  exclaiming  that  never  yet 
had  there  been  in  China  such  an  enlightened  and  moderate 
gentleman  as  Dr.  Richard  had  shown  himself  to  be,  and 
that  if  these  suggestions  were  put  into  effect  there  would 
be  no  more  missionary  troubles  in  the  Empire.  Dr.  Rich- 
ard’s long  residence  in  Shansi — from  1876  to  1886 — his 
devotion  and  tact  in  distributing  famine  relief  at  the  be- 
ginning of  that  period,  his  cordial  relations  with  officials 
from  the  Governor  down,  and  his  wide  reputation  as  the 
best  known  and  most  representative  Protestant  missionary 
in  China,  combine  to  give  his  recommendations  great 
weight. 

Representatives  of  nine  of  the  important  missionary 
societies  in  China  have  recently  issued,  both  in  English 
and  in  Chinese,  a “ Statement  ” in  regard  to  the  con- 
nection between  missionaries  and  the  present  crisis.  It 
is  of  the  nature  of  an  explanation,  and  incidentally  a de- 
fence, and  has  attracted  favourable  comment  from  the  lead- 
ing foreign  journals  of  Shanghai  for  its  conspicuous  fair- 
ness and  moderation  of  language.  A paragraph  from  an 
article  in  the  “ North  China  Daily  News  ” dealing  with 
it  should  be  quoted : “ The  charge  that  missionaries  have 
manifested  an  improper  desire  to  see  vengeance  done  on 


DR.  AMENT  RECEIVING  VILLAGE  DEPUTATION 


FOREIGN  OCCUPATION  731 

the  perpetrators  of  last  year’s  outrages  is,  except  in  pos- 
sible isolated  cases,  as  unfounded  as  Mark  Twain's  ig- 
norant charges  against  Dr.  Ament  and  his  colleagues  in 
Peking  and  its  vicinity.  Men  who  have  examined  the 
whole  question  with  an  honest  desire  to  arrive  at  the  truth 
without  prejudice  or  partiality  allow  that  the  behaviour 
of  the  missionaries  as  a body  has  not  only  been  above 
reproach,  but  worthy  of  praise  and  gratitude.  They 

have  been  anxious,  as  we  have  all  been  anxious,  to  see 
outrages  such  as  those  of  last  year  made  impossible  in  the 
future,  and  as  long  as  human  nature  is  what  it  is,  men 
must  be  deterred  from  crime  by  the  conviction  that  it 
will  be  followed  by  punishment ; and  not  to  have  punished, 
and  punished  severely,  the  culprits  of  last  year,  would 
have  been  to  invite  a repetition  of  their  crimes.” 

It  is  a hopeful  circumstance  that  Minister  Conger  will 
soon  be  on  his  way  out  again.  It  is  simply  a fact  that  at 
the  present  time  there  is  no  other  man  who  can  take  his 
place,  or  who  ought  to  take  it.  Like  all  the  other  Minis- 
ters, he  did  not  foresee  the  coming  cyclone  in  China,  but 
when  it  came  he  proved  a tower  of  strength,  not  to  Amer- 
icans only,  but  to  the  common  defence — a service  ill 
requited  by  the  theory  prevalent  at  Washington  that  be- 
cause his  insight  was  so  much  greater  and  more  accurate 
than  that  of  any  one  in  Washington,  his  “mind  was  af- 
fected ! ” As  President  Lincoln  desired  more  Generals 
who  drank  the  “ whisky  ” to  which  General  Grant  was 
alleged  to  be  addicted,  so  the  United  States  Legations 
abroad  would  do  well  to  lay  in  a stock  of  Ministers  who 
have  the  common  sense  and  the  manliness  of  Mr. 
Conger. 

It  is  incidentally  a gratification  to  many  whose  sense 
of  justice  has  been  outraged  by  the  captious  criticisms  of 
those  with  neither  knowledge  nor  candour  to  compre- 


732 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


hend  existing  conditions,  to  see  that  Mr.  Conger  has  not 
hesitated  to  take  the  responsibility  for  his  own  advice  con- 
sistently given  to  American  citizens  acting  in  times  of 
storm  and  stress.  He  has  comprehensively  replied  to  all 
the  current  criticism  by  the  remark : “ I am  prepared  to 
justify  the  conduct  of  the  missionaries  before  the  siege, 
during  the  siege,  and  after  the  siege.” 

It  is  well  for  the  friends  of  those  moral  reforms  without 
which  the  regeneration  of  this  Empire  is  utterly  impossi- 
ble, to  bear  in  mind  that  existing  conditions  do  not  alter 
our  duty  to  China,  but  only  modify  present  action.  If 
anything  is  certain  it  is  that  there  is  to  be  in  some  form 
a new  China.  For  that  we  should  watch,  and  perhaps 
wait,  but  not  idly  nor  as  those  without  hope.  All  mission 
methods  should  be  re-examined,  as  ships  are  overhauled 
in  the  dry-docks,  but  always  with  reference  to  a new  and 
a longer  voyage  than  the  last. 


XXXVIII 


THE  OUTLOOK 

THE  questions  arising  in  consequence  of  the  Con- 
vulsion in  China  are  too  numerous  and  too  com- 
prehensive to  be  recapitulated  in  a closing  chap- 
ter, even  if  from  a single  point  of  view  they  could  all  be 
understood.  In  the  preceding  pages  an  effort  has  been 
made  to  point  out  some  of  the  remoter  underlying  and 
predisposing  causes  of  this  great  movement,  which  in 
the  peculiar  condition  existing  was  an  inevitable  part  of 
the  evolution  of  the  international  relations  of  mankind. 
Other  nations  were  driven  toward  intercourse  with  China 
by  an  impulse  which  they  could  no  more  resist  than  the 
waters  of  the  ocean  can  withstand  the  pull  of  the  moon, 
clearly  recognizing  that  no  nation  has  either  the  right  or 
the  power  to  refuse  such  intercourse.  As  a result  China 
was  forced  into  relations  with  the  West,  unwillingly  ac- 
cepting treaties  which  she  intended  to  keep  only  while 
they  could  not  be  evaded  or  broken. 

Had  the  Occidental  Powers  invariably  observed  the 
far-reaching  rule  of  Lord  Elgin  never  to  make  an  unjust 
demand  and  never  to  retreat  from  a just  demand  once 
made,  China  would  have  been  peacefully  coerced  into 
right  relations  with  the  rest  of  the  World,  to  her  own 
unspeakable  benefit  and  ours.  As  it  was,  the  impact  of 
Western  Nations  on  China  was  met  by  unvarying  evasion, 
duplicity,  falsehood,  arrogance,  and  an  intolerable  inso- 

733 


734 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


lence  which  from  time  to  time  brought  on  conflicts,  and 
always  with  the  same  ultimate  results. 

The  occurrences  of  the  year  1900  displayed  upon  a great 
scale  the  emptiness  of  those  Chinese  pretensions  which 
have  never  been  and  are  not  yet  abandoned.  They  have 
also  exhibited,  notwithstanding  the  universal  prevalence 
of  a lofty  system  of  theoretical  morality,  a “ dauntless 
mendacity,”  a barbaric  cruelty,  and  a colossal  pride,  un- 
exampled in  modern  history.  The  result  of  the  humil- 
iation of  China  before  the  Powers  is  to  leave  them  con- 
fronted with  the  gravest  problem  which  Occidental  civili- 
zation has  ever  faced.  Great  issues  hang  upon  the  out- 
come, both  for  China  and  for  the  World.  That  the 
wishes  and  the  supposed  interests  of  the  Powers  are  not 
only  not  identical  but  apparently  hopelessly  irreconcilable, 
has  long  been  plain,  from  which  arises  the  ominous  and 
significant  fact  that  the  only  progress  possible  has  been  by 
the  composition  of  counteracting  forces. 

The  outline  of  the  terms  of  settlement  with  China  in- 
volved a mission  of  apology  to  Germany  for  the  murder 
of  her  minister ; monuments  in  desecrated  cemeteries ; a 
prohibition  of  the  importation  of  arms  and  munitions  of 
war;  the  destruction  of  the  Taku  and  other  forts;  a Lega- 
tion area  in  Peking,  defended  by  foreign  guards,  with 
provision  for  other  forces  elsewhere ; a financial  indem- 
nity of  perhaps  450,000,000  taels  of  silver,  the  payment  of 
which  is  to  be  distributed  through  the  coming  thirty  or 
fifty  years ; the  punishment  of  specified  persons  who  were 
most  guilty  in  the  late  uprising;  the  suspension  for  five 
years  of  examinations  in  cities  where  foreigners  were 
murdered ; the  universal  publication  of  the  fact  of  these 
punishments,  a strict  prohibition  under  penaltv  of  death 
of  all  anti-foreign  societies,  and  an  Imperial  Edict  dis- 


THE  OUTLOOK 


735 


tinctly  recognizing  the  future  responsibility  of  officials  for 
outrages  occurring  within  their  districts. 

There  are  undoubtedly  some  items  in  this  list  to  which 
exception  may  be  taken  as  injudicious,  but  those  most 
familiar  with  the  circumstances  are  most  likely  to  agree 
that  they  are  not  in  themselves  unjust.  Yet  they  are  al- 
together inadequate,  being  mainly  punitive,  privitive,  and 
destructive  in  character,  and  containing  no  seed  of  future 
promise.  A unique  opportunity  for  aiding  in  the  rehabili- 
tation of  the  most  populous  and  most  ancient  of  Empires 
seems  to  have  been  lost.  For  this,  the  simple  and  ade- 
quate explanation  is  that  the  numerous  Powers  involved 
in  the  settlement  do  not  desire  for  China  the  same  things. 
A more  impressive  object-lesson  of  the  failure  of  diplo- 
macy to  achieve  constructive  results,  when  unhampered 
by  external  conditions  and  operating  on  a large  scale,  has 
seldom  been  seen.  Unless  China  is  in  some  way  essen- 
tially changed,  past  conditions  may  gradually  recur,  but 
for  these  changes  we  shall  look  in  vain  to  Prime  Ministers 
of  Western  Powers,  or  to  Ministers  resident  in  China. 

The  long  cherished  and  confident  expectation  that 
China  was  to  be  gradually  regenerated  by  her  contact 
with  Western  Civilization,  by  commerce,  by  steamships, 
railways,  telegraphs,  and  mines,  has  been  demonstrated  to 
be  utterly  insubstantial.  It  is  these  very  appliances  of 
“ funded  civilization  ” which  more  than  anything  else 
have  helped  to  bring  about  the  Convulsion  in  China. 
They  are  in  themselves  disturbing  forces  destitute  of 
moral  qualities,  not  only  not  remedying  the  evils  which 
they  inevitably  occasion  in  an  Empire  like  China,  and 
among  a people  like  the  Chinese,  but  having  no  tendency 
to  do  so. 

There  remains  the  method  of  education,  so  earnestly 


7 36 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


advocated  by  Chang  Chih  Tung  in  his  work  already 
quoted.  By  this  means  light  is  to  be  gradually  introduced 
into  China,  making  in  future  such  a crusade  as  that  of 
1900  impossible. 

Education  is  indeed  a valuable  and  an  indispensable 
agency,  which  to  some  extent  has  already  been  employed, 
and  which  must  be  used  upon  a scale  ten  thousand  fold 
greater  before  the  darkness  of  the  masses  of  China  can 
be  expelled  and  replaced  by  light.  But  there  are  many 
kinds  of  education.  That  which  deals  only  with  co- 
ordinated physical  or  mental  facts,  conducted  with  what- 
ever degree  of  thoroughness,  has  never  yet  proved  ade- 
quate for  the  regulation  of  the  conduct  of  mankind.  It 
is  intellectual  only,  leaving  the  highest  parts  of  man’s 
nature  unsatisfied  and  untouched.  It  is  a two-edged 
sword  certain  to  cut  in  both  directions. 

The  Chinese  themselves  have  already  perceived  that 
the  rigid  prohibition  of  the  importation  of  arms  and 
munitions  of  war  will  eventually  compel  them  to  become 
the  producers  of  implements  of  destruction,  perhaps  upon 
a scale  never  before  seen  in  any  land.  The  mere  bulk  of 
the  Chinese  people,  unmilitary  as  they  have  always  been, 
might  conceivably  make  them,  when  once  aroused,  a 
menace  to  mankind.  Will  a knowledge  of  chemistry,  and 
an  ability  to  calculate  the  curves  of  falling  bodies,  and 
the  velocity  of  projectiles  in  itself  suffice  to  keep  the 
Chinese  under  due  restraint,  with  countless  Lamps  of 
Aladdin  always  in  their  hands,  always  waiting  to  be 
rubbed  ? 

It  is  true  of  China  more  than  of  any  other  non-Chris- 
tian people,  that  they  have  never  been  profoundly  moved 
by  other  than  moral  forces.  The  rapid  and  irresistible 
progress  destined  to  be  made  by  Western  science  in  the 
Chinese  Empire  will  speedily  and  surely  undermine 


THE  OUTLOOK 


737 


Chinese  faith  in  the  “ Book  of  Changes,”  which  under- 
lies the  pyramid  of  Chinese  philosophy.  Whatever  is 
permanently  true  will  remain  in  imperishable  blocks,  but 
the  structure  as  a whole  will  be  left  in  ruins,  with  Chinese 
ideals  pitilessly  and  irrevocably  shattered.  At  this 
critical  period  of  the  disintegration  of  outworn  forces, 
what  new  moral  ideas  are  to  replace  the  old? 

Christianity  has  been  in  China  a disturber,  as  it  always 
is  and  always  has  been  everywhere.  It  had  the  fortune 
(or  misfortune)  to  be  formally  introduced  to  the  Chinese 
in  connection  with  treaties  imposed  by  force  for  ends 
which  the  Chinese  detested,— in  this  respect,  however, 
standing  on  a level  with  the  rights  of  trade.  It  has  also 
had  the  additional  disadvantage  of  being  in  one  of  its 
forms  indissolubly  associated  in  the  minds  of  the  Chinese 
with  political  agencies,  which  they  dread  with  reason  and 
instinctively  antagonize.  There  has  been  much  in  the 
method  of  its  propagation  in  China  which  is  open  to  just 
criticism,  and  which  at  this  crucial  juncture  ought  to  be 
fearlessly  exposed,  frankly  admitted,  and  honestly 
abandoned,  new  and  better  methods  replacing  those  which 
have  proved  faulty  and  unworthy. 

But  Christianity  is  itself  an  integral  part  of  modern 
civilization,  from  which  it  can  no  more  be  dissociated  than 
the  rays  of  light  and  of  heat  can  be  untwisted  from  the 
sunbeam.  The  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese  to 
expel  from  their  Empire  spiritual  forces,  is  an  uprising 
of  the  Middle  Ages  against  the  Twentieth  Century.  The 
effort  on  the  part  of  some  who  have  been  cradled  in 
Christian  lands,  in  an  unspiritual  and  a materialistic  age, 
to  pinion  and  hand-cuff  the  disintegrating  yet  construc- 
tive forces  of  Christianity  in  their  operation  in  China,  is 
a futile  struggle  to  reverse  the  tide  of  human  develop- 
ment, and  to  arrest  the  slow  but  irresistible  progress  of  a 


738 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


law  of  man’s  spiritual  nature.  Let  it  be  distinctly  recog- 
nized that  the  development  of  Christianity  in  China  will 
be  and  must  be  marked  by  conflict,  perhaps  not  more  so 
than  elsewhere,  but  surely  not  less.  It  will  undermine 
idolatry  as  it  did  in  the  Roman  Empire,  and  upon  the 
wreck  of  the  old  will  build  a structure  as  much  fairer 
than  the  Roman  as  the  moral  ideals  of  the  Chinese  race 
are  higher  and  purer  than  those  of  that  ancient  state. 

When  adopted,  and  even  imperfectly  put  in  practice,  it 
may  be  expected  to  alter  the  life  of  the  court,  as  it  has 
done  in  Western  lands,  inadequately  Christianized  though 
these  be.  It  will  make  the  dry  bones  of  Chinese  scholar- 
ship live  by  unifying,  and  for  the  first  time  completing, 
their  knowledge  of  “ Heaven,  Earth,  and  Man.”  By  the 
introduction  of  new  standards  and  new  sanctions  it  will 
begin  to  purify  the  Augean  stable  of  Chinese  officialdom, 
a task,  under  right  conditions,  by  no  means  impossible  of 
performance.  For  the  mass  of  the  Chinese  people  it 
would  at  least  make  life  worth  living,  joining  the  present 
and  the  future  by  golden  links  in  a manner  at  present 
wholly  inconceivable,  yet  the  inevitable  outcome  of 
spiritual  enlightenment. 

The  wide  diffusion  of  Christianity  in  its  best  form  will 
not  suddenly  introduce  into  China  the  Millennium,  for  no 
goal  can  be  reached  without  passing  through  all  the  inter- 
mediate stages.  But  it  will,  for  the  first  time  in  Chinese 
history,  realize  the  motto  of  the  ancient  T’ang,  quoted  at 
the  opening  of  the  Great  Learning,  “ Renovate,  renovate 
the  people.”  Thus  alone  can  the  Empire  be  adapted  to 
the  altered  conditions  brought  about  by  the  impact  of 
Western  civilization,  with  its  Pandora  Box  of  evil  and 
of  good. 

The  immediate  future  of  China  will  depend  on  the  one 
hand  upon  her  relations  with  the  Powers,  and  on  the 


THE  OUTLOOK 


739 


other  upon  the  temper  of  the  court,  the  temper  of  the 
officials,  the  temper  of  the  literati,  and  the  temper  of  the 
people.  There  is  no  possible  way  of  reaching  these  vari- 
ous classes  so  well  and  so  directly  as  through  the  native 
Chinese  Church,  which  has  already  suffered  so  much  and 
borne  such  witness  to  its  faith  by  its  life,  and  by  the 
heroic  death  of  many  of  its  number.  This  truth  has  found 
expression  in  the  notable  magazine  article  in  which  Sir 
Robert  Hart  frankly  declares  that  if,  in  spite  of  official 
opposition  and  popular  irritation,  “ Christianity  were  to 
make  a mighty  advance,”  it  might  “ so  spread  through  the 
land  as  to  convert  China  into  the  friendliest  of  friendly 
Powers,  and  the  foremost  patron  of  all  that  makes  for 
peace  and  goodwill.”  This,  he  thinks,  “ would  prick  the 
Boxer  balloon  and  disperse  the  noxious  gas  which 
threatens  to  swell  the  race-hatred  programme,  and  poison 
and  imperil  the  world’s  future.” 

It  is  well  that  the  dilemma  should  be  recognized  and 
squarely  faced.  Unless  China  is  essentially  altered  she 
will  continue  to  “ imperil  the  world’s  future.”  Other 
forces  have  been  to  some  extent  experimented  with,  and 
have  been  shown  to  be  hopelessly  inadequate.  Christian- 
ity has  been  tried  upon  a small  scale  only,  and  has  already 
brought  forth  fruits  after  its  kind.  When  it  shall  have 
been  thoroughly  tested,  and  have  had  opportunity  to  de- 
velop its  potentialities,  it  will  give  to  China  intellectually, 
morally,  and  spiritually,  the  Elixir  of  a New  Life. 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX 


THE  GREATEST  CYCLOPAEDIA  IN  THE  WORLD. 

A brief  summary  of  what  is  known  of  this  great  work 
may  be  of  interest. 

In  the  annals  of  bibliography,  remarks  a great  Chinese 
scholar  (the  late  Alexander  Wylie),  there  are  few  in- 
cidents comparable  to  the  gigantic  effort  made  by  Yung 
Le,  the  second  Emperor  of  the  Ming  Dynasty,  who 
reigned  from  1403-1425. 

Desiring  to  compile  an  all-comprehensive  cyclopaedia, 
he  issued  in  a.  d.  1403,  a commission  to  a native  scholar 
to  undertake  the  work,  assisted  by  a hundred  and  forty- 
seven  literary  men.  These  having  completed  their  labours 
in  a year  and  a half,  the  result  was  presented  to  the  Em- 
peror. As  the  work,  however,  fell  far  short'  of  His 
Majesty’s  idea,  a much  more  extensive  committee  of 
scholars  was  appointed,  with  a commission  to  collect  in 
one  body  the  substance  of  all  the  classical,  historical, 
philosophical,  and  literary  works  hitherto  published,  em- 
bracing astronomy,  geography,  the  occult  sciences,  medi- 
cine, Buddhism,  Taoism,  and  the  arts.  Three  scholars 
were  now  designated  as  presidents  of  the  commission,  and 
under  them  were  five  chief  directors  and  twenty  sub- 
directors, beside  two  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
nine  subordinates.  The  work  was  brought  to  a conclusion 
near  the  close  of  the  year  1407,  containing  in  all  22,877 
books,  besides  the  table  of  contents,  which  occupied  sixty 
books.  There  is  some  irregularity  in  the  principle  of 

743 


744 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


quotation ; sometimes  single  clauses  are  given  containing 
the  head  character ; sometimes  whole  sections  of  books ; 
and  sometimes  works  are  given  entire  if  pertaining  to 
the  subject. 

When  the  first  draft  was  laid  before  the  throne, 
orders  were  given  to  have  it  transcribed  for  print- 
ing, and  the  copy  was  finished  in  1409 ; but  in  considera- 
tion of  the  great  outlay  that  would  be  necessary  for  the 
workmanship,  the  blocks  for  printing  were  never  cut ; 
and  on  the  removal  of  the  court  to  Peking  the  copy  was 
deposited  in  an  Imperial  apartment.  What  became  of 
this  copy  is  not  known,  but  it  probably  perished  in  a fire 
which  occurred  in  the  palace  in  1557,  for  in  1562  we  find 
a hundred  transcribers  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Rites 
to  make  two  new  copies.  Three  leaves  a day  was  con- 
sidered each  man's  work,  at  which  rate  they  completed 
their  task  in  1567.  During  the  disturbances  that  occurred 
at  the  overthrow  of  the  Ming  Dynasty  and  the  coming 
of  the  Manchus  (1644),  one  of  the  copies,  and  also  the 
original  draft  which  had  been  kept  at  Nanking,  were  both 
destroyed  by  fire ; and  on  the  restoration  of  peace,  one 
copy  was  found  to  be  deficient  2,422  books. 

This  great  work  has  proved  of  service  to  Chinese  litera- 
ture in  a way  not  probably  anticipated  by  its  originators. 
The  wholesale  selections  were  at  one  time  considered  as 
a defect,  but  have  now  become  the  most  important  feature 
of  the  whole ; for  by  this  means  three  hundred  and 
eighty-five  rare  and  ancient  works  have  been  preserved, 
which  would  otherwise  have  been  irrevocably  lost ; 
and  many  of  them  have  since  been  reprinted  and 
extensively  circulated.  Such  is  the  history  of  the 
most  elaborate  and  most  comprehensive  work  perhaps 
in  any  literature,  never  published,  yet  always  de- 
stroyed only  to  come  forth  from  its  ashes.  It  is  not 


APPENDIX 


745 


a little  remarkable  that  it  now  owes  its  preservation — 
so  far  as  it  has  been  saved — to  the  hated  foreign  devil, 
but  the  separate  volumes  have  been  dispersed  all  over  the 
world,  and  a few  have  found  their  way  into  American 
libraries  as  unique  curiosities. 


DIRECTORY  OF  THE  SIEGE  IN  PEKING. 

This  Register  of  the  Siege  is  of  varied  interest,  apart 
from  the  personality  of  any  of  the  participants,  as  a 
species  of  index  to  the  mode  by  which  a handful  of  Occi- 
dentals, confronted  by  unnumbered  Asiatics,  so  disposed 
of  their  limited  forces  as  to  make  the  most  of  them,  and, 
in  the  end,  to  win  success  from  the  very  jaws  of  defeat 
and  extinction. 

Military. 

Major  Sir  Claude  MacDonald,  in  charge  of  Defence  Opera- 
tions. 

Officers  belonging  to  Foreign  Detachments. 

Austro-Hungarian,  Capt.  Winterhalder ; Capt.  Kollar,  Sub.  Lt. 
Tom  Meyer ; Baron  Boynberg. 

British,  Capt.  Halliday  (wounded,  hospital)  ; Capt.  Wray. 

French,  Lt.  Darcy;  Sub.  Lt.  Darcy  (Pei  T’ang). 

German,  Lt.  Graf  von  Soden. 

Italian,  Lt.  Paolini;  Lt.  Olivieri  (Pei  T’ang). 

Japanese,  Lt.  Hara. 

Russian,  Lt.  Baron  von  Raden;  Lt.  Dehn. 

United  States,  Capt.  Myers  (wounded,  hospital)  ; Capt.  Hall. 

Officer  in  command  at  the  Su  Wang  Fu,  Col.  Shiba  (Jap.). 

In  charge  Italian  post,  Su  Wang  Fu,  Lt.  Paolini ; Mr.  Caetani. 

Personal  Staff  of  Sir  Claude  MacDonald,  Mr.  Herbert  G. 
Squiers  (former  Lt.  U.  S.  A.),  Chief  of  Staff ; Capt.  Poole,  Adju- 
tant: Orderlies,  Messrs.  Fliche,  Hewlitt,  Squiers,  Jr.,  Barr. 

Officers  doing  regular  duty  in  charge  of  post  on  south  city 
wall,  Capt.  Hall,  Capt.  Labrouse,  Capt.  Percy  Smith,  Capt.  Wron- 
bleffesky,  Lt.  von  Loesch. 

Fortification  Staff,  Chief  of  Staff,  Mr.  F.  D.  Gamewell ; Aides, 


746 


CHINA  IN  CONVULSION 


Messrs.  Chapin,  Ewing,  Killie,  Norris,  Howard  Smith,  Stone- 
house,  and  others. 

In  charge  fortifications  on  south  city  wall,  Mr.  Squiers;  Aides, 
Messrs.  Pethick,  Cheshire,  Moore,  Splingard,  and  others. 

Volunteers,  general  charge,  Capt.  Poole.  In  charge  Customs 
Volunteers,  Lt.  von  Strauch.  In  charge  of  Russians,  Mr.  Was- 
silieff.  In  charge  of  French,  M.  Bureau. 

Customs  Volunteers.  Lt.  von  Strauch,  Messrs.  Piry,  Brazier, 
Brewitt-Taylor,  Reutenfeld,  Macown,  Richardson,  Wintour, 
Simpson,  Konovaloff,  Sandercock,  Smyth,  Bismarck,  Bethell, 
Ferguson,  Lanon,  De  Courcey,  Le  Luca,  Destallan,  Diehr,  Encar- 
nascao,  De  Pinna,  Dupree,  Mears  (Attached),  Fliche,  Barbier, 
Hageman. 

British  Legation  Volunteers.  Messrs.  Dering,  Ker,  Tours, 
Russell  (in  charge),  Hancock,  Flaherty,  Bristow,  Giles,  Porter, 
Kirke,  Hewlitt,  Drury,  Townsend,  Barr. 

Board  of  Works,  Mr.  Cowan.  Attached  to  British  Legation,  Mr. 
Thornhill.  Peking  Syndicate,  Messrs.  Bristow,  Sabbione.  Im- 
perial Chinese  Bank,  Messrs.  Houston,  Oliphant.  Hongkong 
and  Shanghai  Bank,  Messrs.  Tweed,  Brent. 

Russian  Volunteers.  Messrs.  Wassilieff  Gn  charge),  Alexan- 
droff,  Koehler,  Brackmann,  Osipoff,  PosdneyefT,  Mirny,  Wihl- 
fahrt,  Piskinoff,  Polujanoff,  Orlovsky. 

French  Volunteers.  Messrs.  Parrot,  Bertaux,  Philippine,  De- 
meyer,  Chibant,  La  France,  Berthe,  Saussine,  Bureau,  Cuillierde, 
Gieter. 

Belgian  Volunteers.  Messrs.  Yoostens,  Goffinet,  Roland,  De- 
Melotte. 

Miscellaneous  Volunteers.  Messrs.  Ament,  Turner,  Norris, 
Allen,  Peel,  Allardyce,  Peachey,  Backhouse,  Coltman,  Jr.,  Dr. 
Coltman. 

Medical  Department. 

Doctors  in  charge.  American  Detachment,  Surgeon  Lippett 
(wounded),  Dr.  Lowry,  vice. 

French  and  Austrian  Detachments,  Dr.  Matignon. 

Japanese  Detachment,  Capt.  Nakagawa. 

International  Hospital,  Dr.  Poole,  Dr.  Velde. 

Medical  Assistants.  Messrs.  Amati  (Italian),  Dose  (Ger- 
man), Fuller  (British),  Yamagata  (Jap.),  Stanley  (Am.). 

International  Hospital  Nursing  Staff.  Miss  Lambert,  Matron. 
Drs.  Anna  Gloss,  Eliza  Leonard,  Maud  Mackie.  Emma  Martin, 


APPENDIX 


747 


Lillie  Saville;  Miss  McKillican,  Miss  Newton,  Miss  Shilston, 
Mrs.  Woodward,  Deaconess  Jessie  Ransome,  Sisters  Marie  and 
Stephanie. 

Honorary  Stewards  to  Hospital.  Messrs.  R.  Allen,  Richard- 
son. 

In  charge  of  hospital  kitchen,  Misses  Chapin,  Gowans,  Russell. 

Occasional  Helpers  at  Hospital,  Mme.  de  Giers  and  Russian 
ladies,  Mrs.  Houston,  Miss  Sheffield. 

Civilian. 

General  Committee  of  Public  Comfort.  Messrs.  Tewksbury 
(Chairman),  Bredon,  Cockburn,  Hobart,  Kruger,  Morisse, 
Popoff.  Secretaries,  Messrs.  Stelle  and  Galt. 

Sub-Committees,  bakery,  Mr.  Tewksbury;  carpentry  and  black- 
smithing,  Messrs.  Galt,  Gamewell. 

Confiscated  Chinese  Goods.  Mr.  Ament. 

Fire  Department.  Messrs.  Tours,  Tweed. 

Food  Supply.  Messrs.  King,  Berteaux,  Clarke,  Thornhill, 
Fenn,  Kolossoff,  Oliver,  Russell;  mutton,  Mr.  Brazier;  horse- 
meat,  Mr.  Allardyce. 

Fuel  Supply.  Messrs.  Bailie,  Wherry,  Kanahami,  Barbier. 

Gate  Day  Watchmen.  North  Gate,  Messrs.  Martin,  Smith; 
South  Gate,  French  Brothers;  Tunnel,  Russian  Volunteers. 

Kitchen  for  Chinese  Workmen.  Messrs.  Hobart,  Goodrich, 
Whiting,  Walker. 

Labour,  Chinese  Christians.  Messrs.  Hobart,  Verity;  Chinese 
servants,  Messrs.  Stelle,  Galt ; foreign,  Mr.  Cockburn. 

Laundry.  Mr.  Brazier. 

Markets,  eggs,  vegetables.  Messrs.  Brent,  Allardyce. 

Messenger  Service.  Chinese  (English  speaking),  Mr.  Hobart; 
To  Tientsin,  etc.,  Mr.  Tewksbury. 

Milling.  Mr.  Fenn. 

Registration.  Messrs.  Stelle,  Galt.  Cockburn. 

Sanitation.  British  Legation,  Messrs.  Poole,  Dudgeon,  Inglis, 
Herring;  Su  Wang  Fu,  Fathers  Banteynie,  Bafcop,  Drs.  Ingram 
and  Ts’ao. 

Shoe-repairing.  Mr.  Hobart. 

Stabling,  with  care  and  selection  of  animals.  Messrs.  Deering, 
Dupree,  Ker,  Brazier. 

Watch  Repairing.  Mr.  Stelle. 

Water  Inspection.  Mr.  Davis. 


Index 


Abb£  Hue,  the,  35 
Adaptability  of  Chinese,  illus- 
tration of,  581 

Admiral  Courbet,  naval  battle 
of.  25 

Admirals,  council  of.  436 
Advertisements  in  Peking,  528 
Allen,  Y.  J.;  publisher  “Re- 
view of  the  Times,’’  Shang- 
hai, 129 

Allied  Forces  in  China,  arrival 
of,  432;  composition  of,  439; 
difficulties,  446 ; inactivity, 
448 ; inadequate  equipment, 
453;  start  for  Peking,  454; 
raising  the  siege,  461 ; con- 
duct of  troops,  7x5,  716,  718 
Allied  generals,  conference  of, 
453 

Ament,  Dr.,  goods  placed  in 
charge  of,  281 ; charges 
against,  731 

American  Bible  Society,  gives 
Bible  to  Emperor,  129 
American  Board  Mission,  an- 
nual meeting  of,  at  T’ung 
Chou,  230;  T’ung  Chou  com- 
pound, 557;  destruction,  564; 
massacre  of  missionaries, 
610,  613,  616 

American  Legation,  foreigners 
take  refuge  in,  258;  attacks 
on,  335,  425,  428 
American  Methodist  Episcopal 
Compound  in  Peking,  Ameri- 
cans gather  in,  215 
American  Methodist  Episcopal 
Mission,  annual  meeting  of, 
at  Peking,  230 

American  Missionaries  in  Meth- 
odist Compound,  letter  from 
Mr.  Conger  to,  249 


American  railroads,  118 
American  sailor,  executed,  15 
American  text  books,  funds  for, 
142 

American  troops.  Temple  of 
Agriculture  headquarters  of, 
546;  composition  of,  454 
Americanising  Chinese,  effect 
of,  23 

Americans  in  China,  ill  treated, 
21;  plan  defence,  233;  organ- 
ization among,  273.  509 ; 

adopt  resolutions,  494 
Amur,  massacre  at  the,  607 
An  Ching  Fu,  riot  at.  82 
Ancestral  tablets  of  Manchu  dy- 
nasty, British  seizure  of,  548 
Ancestral  Worship,  question  of, 
34;  decision  of  Pope  against, 
47 

Anglo-Chinese  College,  Presi- 
dent of,  on  French  treachery, 

25 

Anglo-German  railroad.  119 
Anglo-Saxon,  and  Chinese,  5 
Anhui,  troubles  in,  156 
Annam,  Roman  Catholic  Bish- 
op in,  influence  of,  48 
Anti-foreign  governor  of  Pe- 
king, appointment  of,  224 ; 
literature,  issue  of,  79;  move- 
ments, 87,  185,  223 ; pam- 
phlet, 77;  picture  gallery,  81  ; 
proclamation.  73 ; propaganda 
and  its  results,  77-87;  riots, 
65-76 

Antipathy,  remoter  sources  of, 
3-X3  . 

Antiquity  of  Chinese,  4 
Argent.  Mr.,  murder  of,  83 
Armistice,  the  340-364;  arrang- 
ing terms,  355 


749 


750 


INDEX 


Arms,  discoveries  of,  451 
Army,  the  Chinese,  disappear- 
ance of,  501 

Army  of  Avengers,  nucleus  of, 
223 

Arsenal,  the  siege,  333 
Arsenals  at  Tientsin,  Provision- 
al Government  takes,  581, 
586 

Ashmore,  William,  on  “ Out- 
rages,” 55 

Astronomical  Observatory,  dis- 
mantling of,  545 
Athletic  sects  not  Boxers,  171 
Attacks  on  Legations,  253-271 ; 

renewed,  402-418 
Atwater  family,  murder  of,  616 
Austrian  Legation,  troops  fire 
on,  266;  abandoned,  394 
Audience  question,  the,  27 
Australia,  suffering  of  Chinese 
in,  21 

Bagnall,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  and 
daughter,  murder  of,  610 
Bakery,  starting  a,  307 
“ Barbarians,”  Chinese  view  of, 
10;  their  desires,  122;  deal- 
ing with  the.  15 
Barbarities  of  Boxers,  616 
Barricades,  the,  468 
Battles,  summary  of,  393 
Belgian  engineers,  flight  of, 
212;  from  Pao  Ting  Fu,  575 
Beresford,  Lord  Charles,  on 
“ Break-up  of  China,”  115. 
724;  on  duties  collected  at 
Tientsin,  573 

Besieged,  condition  of  the,  485 
Beynon.  Mr.,  murder  of,  614 
Bible.  Emperor  asks  for,  129 
Bible  and  Tract  Societies,  work 
of,  41 

Big  Knife  Societies  approved 
by  Throne,  188;  their  sup- 
pression demanded  by  foreign 
ministers,  190 
Bird,  Miss,  murder  of,  613 
Bishop,  Mrs.  Isabella  Bird,  on 
native  Christians,  663 
Bishop  of  Colon,  the,  35 


Bishop  of  Northern  Cathedral, 
the,  504,  507 

Blagovestchensk,  massacre  at, 
607 

Blomberg  family,  murder  of, 
712 

Board  of  Punishment,  the,  540 
Board  of  Rites,  punishment  of 
officers  of,  146 

Bomb  proof,  strengthening  the, 

305 

Bombs,  refuges  from,  293 
Book  depots,  establishment  of, 
!37 

“ Book  of  Changes,”  Chinese 
faith  in,  737 

Books,  Western,  bureau  for 
translation  of,  141 
“ Boxer  altar,”  explanation  of, 
661 

Boxer  banners,  capture  of,  334; 

characters  on,  566 
Boxer  chiefs,  authorities  seek, 
539 

Boxer  Militia,  the,  377:  ex- 

horted to  patriotic  service, 
379 

Boxer  uprising  and  treaty  of 
Tientsin,  events  between,  22 
Boxer  movement,  its  purpose 
150;  patronized  by  Empress 
Dowager,  150;  its  genesis, 
152-174;  basis,  197;  arrives  in 
T’ung  Chou,  563 ; in  Tientsin, 
574-  576;  planned  for  the 
eighth  month,  606 
Boxer  Society,  proclamation 
against,  229 

Boxer  tiger,  fierceness  of,  240 
Boxers,  the.  154;  defeated,  167; 
superstitions  of.  169,  172,  659; 
invulnerability  of,  170,  245, 
576,  709;  children  among,  172, 
661,  662;  persecute  Chris- 
tians, 175,  177,  654-657;  their 
power,  187;  approved  by 
Throne,  188,  224,  225 ; sup- 
pression demanded.  190;  their 
incantations,  197 ; exercises, 
198;  charms,  199;  posters, 
200,  201 ; Buddhist  Patriotic 


INDEX 


75i 


League  of,  200;  relation  to 
Chinese  troops,  214;  to  Chi- 
nese government,  218-231 ; 
auxiliary  to  army  of  aveng- 
ers, 223  ; practice  openly,  230 ; 
arrive  in  Peking,  518;  leader 
in  T’ung  Chou,  565 ; ordered 
to  kill  Christians,  657 ; resume 
drill  in  Shantung,  722 ; su- 
perintended by  the  Great 
Fairy,  722 

Boys,  Christian,  massacre  of, 
673.  699 

Boys  in  Boxer  Movement,  661 
“ Break-up  of  China,”  Lord 
Charles  Beresford  on,  724 
British  and  French  allies,  19 
British,  attacks  upon,  112 
British  engineers,  Kansu  troops 
attack,  163 

British  claim,  justice  of,  18 
British  fleet,  loss  of,  19 
British  government,  fluctuating 
policy  of,  68;  its  demands, 
hi;  recognition  of  services, 
481 ; loan  to  Chinese  Viceroy, 
603 

British  Legation : attack  on  stu- 
dents of,  229;  visited  by  Ya- 
men  ministers,  236 ; made 
general  headquarters,  261 ; 
Americans  ordered  to,  263 ; 
its  defence,  272 ; sanitation, 
295 ; attacks  on.  420,  422,  425, 
427,  428 ; fortifications,  468, 
477 

British  railroads,  the,  118.  119 
British  students,  bravery  of,  309 
British  troops  in  allied  forces, 
272,  454 

British  White  Book,  siege  dis- 
patches in,  479 

Brooks.  Mr.,  murdered  by  Box- 
ers, 182 

Buddhist  Patriotic  League  of 
Boxers,  200 

Buddhist  priests,  Chinese  em- 
ployment of.  7;  attitude  to- 
ward Christianity.  39 
Buildings,  Imperial,  foreign  oc- 
cupation of,  541 


Bully,  Chinese.  50,  86 
Burlingame  Mission,  the,  22 

Canadian  Presbyterian  Mis- 
sion, notable  experiences  of, 
621-632 

Canal,  the  Grand,  56;  the  Im- 
perial, 260 

Canton,  causes  of  troubles  in, 
13 ; diplomatic  representa- 
tives, 14;  right  of  entering 
granted,  17;  riots  at,  71;  pa- 
triotic defence,  112 
Capital  in  transformation,  the, 
535_554 

Carles,  Mr.,  British  Consul  at 
Tientsin,  205 

Carleson,  Mr.,  murder  of,  712 
Cassini  Convention,  the,  104, 
107,  117 

Casualties,  table  of  siege,  488, 
489 

Cathedral  at  Canton,  hatred  of, 
57 

Cathedral.  Tientsin,  destruction 
of,  56,  69 

Cathedral,  Northern,  siege  of, 
503-5.07 

Catholic  (see  Roman  Catholic) 
Celestial  Empire,  the,  6 
Cemetery,  foreign,  wreck  of, 
238 

Cemetery,  the  Protestant,  dese- 
cration of.  498 
Censor,  memorial  of  a,  130 
Censor  Wang,  Imperial  inter- 
view with,  224 

Censors,  reforms  advocated  by, 

144 

Census  of  the  siege,  298,  41 1 
Central  Asia,  nomads  of,  5 
Central  Empire,  division  of  in- 
habitants, 9 
Chaffee.  General,  455 
Chamot,  M.,  brave  rescue  by, 
209 

Chang.  Mr.,  personal  narrative 
of.  691 

Chang,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  personal 
narrative  of,  693 


752 


INDEX 


Chang  Chih  Tung,  issues  proc- 
lamation, 73 ; receives  loan 
from  British,  602;  aids  for- 
eigners, 631 

Chang  Ch’ing  Hsiang,  personal 
narrative  of,  682 
Ch’ang  Hsin  Tien,  siege  of  for- 
eigners at,  209 
Chao  Shu  Ch’iao,  227 
Chapin,  Miss,  Red  Cross  given, 
494 

Charms,  the  Boxer,  199 
Chefoo,  growth  of,  12;  helpful- 
ness of  American  consul  at, 
604 

Chekiang,  Roman  Catholics  in, 
56;  murder  of  foreigners  at, 
60s 

Ch’en  Pao  Chen,  reform  efforts 
of,  141 

Cheng  Ting  Fu,  safety  of  for- 
eigners at,  610 

Chiang,  Mr.,  personal  narrative 
of,  692 

Chiang  Pei,  riot  in,  86 
Chien  Ning  Fu,  riot  at,  86 
Chihli,  mission  affairs  in,  51 ; 
riots  in,  165 ; foreigners  es- 
cape from,  609 

Children  in  the  Boxer  bands,  172 
Children,  massacre  of,  299,  605, 
6 io,  614,  616,  665,  670,  673, 
697,  698,  700,  701 
Children,  siege  play  of,  486 
China,  complex  population  of, 
3 ; isolation  of,  compared 
with  Egypt,  4;  foreign  com- 
merce of,  12;  causes  of  out- 
breaks in,  13;  Irishmen  of, 
13 ; Merchants  Company,  the, 
139;  Merchants’  Steam  Navi- 
gation Company,  212;  rela- 
tion with  foreign  Powers, 
268  ; Christianity  in,  637  ; pe- 
culiar relations  with  Russia, 
723 ; attitude  toward  Western 
nations,  8,  733 ; terms  of  set- 
tlement with,  734;  regenera- 
tion of,  73s ; educational 
problem.  736;  “China  and 
Christianity,”  Michie,  45 


China  Inland  Mission,  the,  65 ; 
massacre  of  missionaries, 
605,  610,  613,  616;  notable 
experiences  of,  635-643 
Chinese,  the,  moral  code  of,  6; 
golden  age  of,  7;  relation  to 
the  Three  Religions,  7;  rela- 
tion to  sages,  7;  to  trade,  9; 
a century  ago,  10;  in  treaty 
ports,  12;  use  of  opium,  15; 
and  exterritorial  rights,  17; 
in  foreign  lands,  21 ; relation 
to  other  nations,  22 ; Amer- 
icanised, persecution  of,  24; 
foreigners’  view  of,  218,  719 
Chinese  army,  co-operates  with 
Boxers,  5,  77 
Chinese  bubble,  the,  26 
bully,  the,  50 

Church,  faithfulness  of,  657 
courts,  no  justice  in,  50 
empire,  size  of,  10,  14 
fans,  pictures  on,  10 
history,  puzzle  of,  5 
institutions  an  evolution,  5 
junk,  the,  10 

law,  punishments  inflicted  ac- 
cording to,  727 
laws  and  foreigners,  16 
labor  strike,  13 
ministers  abroad ; policy  of 
government  criticised  by, 
599,  600 

point  of  view,  20 
race,  origin  of,  3 
resistance  of  foreign  force, 
18 

sages,  the.  6 

scholar  and  foreign  ideals,  77 
servants,  courage  of,  307 
ships  destroyed  by  French,  25 
soldiers,  8 

Chinese,  characteristics  of : 
pride  of  race,  5;  ideals  of,  6; 
aversion  to  war,  7;  timidity 
on  sea,  10;  antipathy  to  for- 
eigners, 12 ; saying  vs.  doing, 
12;  untruthfulness  of,  12; 
pride,  15;  treachery.  19;  atti- 
tude toward  treaties,  29;  love 


INDEX  753 


of  revenge,  37;  forbearance, 
37;  animosity,  30;  adaptabil- 
ity, 520;  fatalism,  652;  clan- 
nishness, 657;  timidity,  657 
Chinese  government  and  for- 
eign trade,  9;  its  conceit,  15; 
ignores  treaty,  18;  relation  to 
world,  20 ; indemnity  demand- 
ed from,  25;  loans  to,  121 ; 
seclusion  of,  127;  encourages 
Boxer  rising,  205  ; its  treach- 
ery, 229 ; asks  assistance  from 
Powers,  361 ; present  relation 
of  Empress  Dowager  to,  728; 
of  Emperor,  728 
Chinese  officials  and  trading 
class,  9 ; knowledge  of  geog- 
raphy, 11 ; bitterness  toward 
domineering  Occidentals,  24 ; 
their  duplicity,  179,  188;  their 
punishment,  550;  flight  from 
Tientsin,  579;  their  exactions, 
716;  opposition  of  people  to, 

723 

Chinese  Progress,”  official  or- 
gan, 139 

" Chinese  Recorder,”  the,  arti- 
cle in,  54,  55 

Ch’ing  Tao,  Germans  in,  106, 
160 

Chinkiang,  foreign  settlement 
in,  13 

Ch’iu,  Dr.,  personal  narrative 
of,  687 

Chou  Han,  placards  of,  79 
Christian  Alliance  Mission- 
aries, murder  of,  712 
Christian  Church  and  ancestral 
worship,  35 ; and  non-Chris- 
tian Chinese,  43 
Christian  literature  in  Imperial 
palace  and  Hunan,  43 
Christian  students,  personal 
narratives  of,  695 
Christianity  and  heathen  priests, 
39 

Christianity  proposed  as  State 
religion,  145 

Christianity  in  China,  effect  of, 
737 


Christians,  nonconformity  to 
Chinese  custom,  33 
Christians,  the  Chinese;  mis- 
sionaries refuse  to  abandon, 
232 

Ch’un,  Prince,  influence  of,  128 
Church,  the  attitude  of,  to- 
ward non-Christian  Chinese, 
43  (see  also  Christian) 
Church  members,  unworthy,  38 
Cipher  telegrams,  sending  of, 
412,  414 

Clapp,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  murder 
of,  613 

Classics,  study  of,  136 
Clothing,  supply  of,  511 
Coal  Hill,  the,  532 
Code,  moral ; of  Chinese,  6 
Colquhoun,  A.  R.,  52 
Commerce  and  Chinese,  10 
Commercial  intrusion,  the,  88- 
101 

Commercial  diplomacy,  tangle 
of,  121 

Commercial  prosperity  of  Pe- 
king, S2I 

Commemoration  Day  for  the 
Six  Martyrs,  150 
Commissariat,  appointment  of 
a,  374  . 

Commission,  American,  appoint- 
ment of,  75 

Committee,  General ; members 
of,  274 

Committees,  organization  of, 
273 

Comprador,  functions  of  the,  89 
Confiscated  goods,  method  of 
dealing  with,  372;  work  of 
committee  on,  41 1 
Confucian  Analects,  study  of, 
136 

Confucian  colleges,  foreigners 
asked  to  visit  the.  137 
Confucianism,  tenets  of,  ac- 
cepted by  Chinese,  6.  7 
Confucius,  service  of,  to  China, 
33 ; on  reciprocity,  62 
Conger,  Minister.  179,  188,  190; 
thanks  the  American  mission- 
aries, 494;  his  services,  731 


754 


INDEX 


Conservative  Party,  resist  re- 
forms, 139;  joint  memorial 
of,  to  Empress  Dowager,  147 
Consuls,  helpfulness  of,  67 
Continental  troops,  vandalism 
of,  546 

Converts,  decree  on,  379 
Coolie  traffic,  the,  21 
Cooper,  Mr.,  murder  of,  610 
Copyright  and  Patent  Laws, 
establishment  of,  139 
Cotton  goods,  trade  of,  90 
Courts,  Chinese,  no  justice  in, 
5°  . 

Cousins,  Edmund;  Mission- 
aries aided  by,  445 
Customs  Staff,  quarters  of, 
abandoned,  230,  257 
Customs  mess,  the  siege,  463 
Cyclopaedia,  the  greatest  in  the 
world,  743 

d’Addosio,  Pere,  saving  of,  237 
“ Daily  News,”  Shanghai,  let- 
ter of  Griffith  John  to,  79 
Dark  Days.  318-339 
Davis,  F.  W.,  murder  of,  613 
Davis,  John  W.,  first  U.  S.  Min- 
ister to  China,  14 
Days  of  waiting,  382-401 
“ Death  to  the  devil’s  religion,” 
circulation  of,  79 
Decrees,  Imperial,  on  foreign- 
ers, 375  ; praising  Boxers,  377 ; 
native  Christians,  379 ; safe- 
guarding Empire,  380;  on 
cause  of  disturbances,  381 ; 
despatching  troops,  407;  de- 
parture of  ministers,  414  (see 
also  Edicts) 

Defence,  Americans  organise 
for,  233;  materials  for,  51 1 
De  Giers,  Madame,  486 
Demon  possession,  instance  of, 
661 

Denby,  Minister,  despatch  of, 
75 

Departments,  proposed  new,  135 
Dering,  Mr.,  assists  in  de- 
fences, 479 


Despatches  from  Tientsin,  send- 
ing, 437 

Despatches,  siege,  479 
Devastation,  scenes  of,  496 
Diedrichs,  Admiral ; commands 
German  fleet,  108 
Diplomatic  corps  telegraph  for 
guards,  210 

Director  of  China  Inland  Mis- 
sion; list  of  Protestant  mis- 
sionary martyrs  prepared  by, 
647,  648,  649 

Directory  of  the  Siege,  745 
Disease,  freedom  from,  during 
siege,  514 

Dixon,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  murder 
of,  634 

Dorward,  Gen.,  leader  of  Brit- 
ish forces,  449 
Drought,  effect  of,  219 
Duplicity  of  Chinese  officials, 
178,  179,  188 

Eastern  Empress,  death  of, 
125 

East  India  Company,  relation 
of,  to  Chinese,  15 
Eastern  Arsenal  in  Tientsin, 
taking  of,  446 

Edicts,  Imperial,  anti-foreign, 
225  ; on  Christianity  in  China, 
226;  character  of,  435;  on 
protection  of  missionaries, 
721  (see  also  Decrees) 

Edicts,  the  Vermilion  Pencil; 

despatch  of.  553 
Education  in  China,  problem  of, 
736  . 

Egyptians,  ancient ; contempo- 
rary with  Chinese,  4 
“ Eight  Diagram  ” sects,  42 
Eighth  moon,  disturbances  ex- 
pected in  the,  219;  Boxer  ris- 
ing planned  for,  606 
Eldred,  Miss,  murder  of,  616 
Elgin,  Lord : rule  of,  733 
Emperor  K’ang  Hsi,  see  K’ang 
Hsi 

Emperor  Kuang  Hsii ; plans  re- 
forms, 43,  his  history,  124; 


INDEX 


begins  reign,  126;  learns  Eng- 
lish, 129;  obtains  Bible,  129; 
issues  reform  decrees.  131 ; 
threatens  to  abdicate,  146;  im- 
prisoned in  palace,  148;  forced 
to  abdicate,  149;  opposes 
Manchu  policy,  246,  269; 

anomalous  relation  to  gov- 
ernment, 728 
Emperor  Tao  Kuang,  14 
Empress  Dowager;  issues  war 
edicts,  28 ; receives  legation 
ladies,  28;  sketch  of,  125; 
given  New  Testament,  128; 
reviews  troops,  142;  opposes 
Emperor,  147;  repeals  re- 
forms, 149 ; heads  Boxer 
movement,  150;  nominates 
heir  apparent,  186;  favors 
Boxers,  223 ; believes  in  di- 
vine mission  of  Boxers,  226; 
anti-foreign  attitude,  230,  244 ; 
issues  edict  to  exterminate 
foreigners,  270;  intends  to 
escape,  393 ; her  flight,  501 ; 
confiscates  palace,  535  ; second 
enforced  flight,  55  ; sanctions 
anti-foreign  decrees,  596,  597 ; 
issues  edicts  to  protect  mis- 
sionaries, 721 ; present  rela- 
tion to  government,  728 
Encyclopaedia,  the  greatest,  743 
English  Baptist  Mission,  no- 
table experiences  of,  632-635 ; 
massacre  of  missionaries,  613 
English  Methodist  Christians, 
personal  narrative  of,  698 
Engvall,  Miss,  murder  of,  712 
Envoys,  received  by  Emperor, 
28;  treatment  of,  343 
Escapes,  narrow,  297 
Escort  to  Tientsin,  Yamen  of- 
fers, 412,  413 

Examination  Grounds,  destruc- 
tion of,  546 

Exercises,  the  Boxer,  198 
Expatriated  subjects:  Chinese 
attitude  toward,  21 
Explosions,  effect  of,  337 
Extermination  Edict  issued, 
270 


755 

Exterritorial  rights  and  the 
Japanese,  17 

Eunuchs,  baleful  influence  of, 
221 

Famine  in  Kiangsu,  157 
Far  East ; Shanghai  the  com- 
mercial capital  of,  12 
Farthing  family ; murder  of, 
614 

Fashoda  incident,  the,  no 
Fathers,  the  Catholic,  Chinese 
suspicions  of,  60 
Favier,  Mgr.,  appeals  from  Pe- 
king to  French  Minister,  206; 
his  courage,  507 
Fengshui,  the,  57,  96,  324 
Feng  Tai,  opposition  to  inno- 
vations at,  99;  attack  on 
railway,  207 

Fenn,  Mr.,  milling  in  charge 
of,  275 

Financial  methods  of  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  58 
Fire  and  Sword  among  Shansi 
Christians,  702-712 
Fire,  danger  from,  280,  281,  287 
Fire  Brigade,  captains  of,  480 
First  overt  act  of  pillage,  166 
First  Week  of  the  siege,  the, 
272-296 

“ Fists  of  United  Harmony/’ 
the,  see  also  “ Boxers,”  168 
“ Five  Storms  of  Wrath,”  57 
Flag,  legation,  hauled  down,  22 
Flags,  Chinese  use  of,  after 
siege,  520 

Fleet.  Allied;  Chinese  fire  upon, 
437. 

Fleming,  Mr.,  murder  of,  87 
Fleury,  Father,  capture  of,  86 
Fliche,  M.,  heads  rescue  party, 
237 

Flight  from  Peking,  prepara- 
tions for,  249 

Food  supply,  inventory  of,  276 ; 
horse-meat,  291 ; work  of 
Committee  on,  402;  scarcity 
of,  420,  421,  424,  425;  at 
Northern  Cathedral,  505 ; 
amount  of,  510 


756 


INDEX 


Foreign  buildings,  destruction 
of,  237 

Foreign  commerce  and  China, 
12 

“ Foreign  devils,”  ban  upon  the 
term,  225 

Foreigners  in  China,  Chinese 
opinion  of,  II,  12,  218,  518, 
573.  718;  classification  of,  88; 
expulsion  desired  by  Empress 
Dowager,  187;  extermination 
planned  by  Boxers,  206;  im- 
prisonment in  Peking,  231 ; 
census  of  in  Peking,  298;  im- 
munity from  attack,  509;  ex- 
periences in  the  Interior,  594- 
620,  659;  Manchu  hostility 
toward,  599 

Foreign  journals,  Empress 
Dowager  influenced  by,  598 
Legations,  pressure  of,  180 
Ministers  demand  Imperial 
decree  suppressing  Boxer 
and  Big  Knife  Societies,  190 
Ministers,  meeting  of,  248 
missionaries,  edict  on,  49 
occupation,  a twelve-month 
of.  713-732 

Powers,  Empress  Dowager 
urges  destruction  of,  244 
relations  of  Chinese  empire, 
14 

settlements;  jurisdiction  of 
Chinese  over,  17;  location 
in  Tientsin,  444;  attack  on, 
445,  448;  military  occupa- 
tion of,  590 
stores,  looting  of.  313 
teachers,  education  by.  135 
teachers  and  Chinese  lan- 
guage, 36 

trade  and  Chinese  govern- 
ment, 9,  10 

troops,  arrival  of,  432 

Formosa,  blockade  of,  by 
French,  25 ; Japanese  posses- 
sion of,  103 

Fortifications,  work  of,  274 

Fortifications,  the,  462-484;  in 
charge  of  F.  D.  Gamewell, 
468;  military  opinion  of,  476 


Fowler,  John,  U.  S.  Consul,  604 
France,  war  with,  cause  of,  24; 
demands  indemnity,  25 ; pro- 
tects Jesuits,  48;  uses  mis- 
sionaries, 53 

Frazer,  E.  H.,  Hankow,  603 
French  Minister,  the,  and  Ro- 
man Catholic  outrages,  55 ; 
appeal  from  Mgr.  Favier  to, 
206 

French.  The : animosity  against, 
69 ; at  Shanghai,  opposition 
to,  70;  further  encroach- 
ments, 1 13,  121 ; massacre  in 
Tientsin,  572 
“ French  beef,”  291 
French  Legation,  assistance 
asked  for,  301 ; attack  on.  304, 
319.  337.  429;  British  marines 
sent  to  assistance  of,  331 ; 
condition  of,  360 
French  missionaries,  rescue  of, 
237 

French  railroads,  the,  119 
French  troops  in  allied  forces, 
the,  455 

Freedom  of  speech,  Emperor 
insists  on,  146 

Fu  Chou,  blockade  of,  by 
French,  25 ; turbulence  of 
people  in,  13 
Fuel  supply,  the,  51 1 
Fukushima,  Gen.,  leads  Japa- 
nese forces,  449 

Gamewell,  F.  D..  plans  fortifi- 
cations, 274,  468 
Garrigues.  Pere,  murder  of.  237 
Gaselee,  General.  454 
Gates  of  Peking,  the,  522 
Gathering  of  the  Storm.  175-195 
Geniihr,  Immanuel,  of  Rhenish 
Mission,  54 
Genghis  Khan.  4 
General  Committee,  members  of, 
274;  letter  to  chairman,  495 
German  expedition,  a punitive, 
160 

aggression  at  Kiaochou,  ef- 
fect of,  161 

barricade,  attack  on,  304 


INDEX 


757 


expedition  to  Kalgan,  715; 
to  Ts’ang  Chou,  716;  to 
Yung  Ch'ing  Hsien,  717 
mines  and  railway,  hostility 
to,  182 

railroads,  the,  119 
Legation,  attack  on,  338,  358, 
424.  428 

possessions  in  China,  106,  108 
Girls  in  Boxer  Movement,  use 
of,  662 

“ Glorified  Tigers,”  the,  223 
Golden  age  of  Chinese,  7 
Gould,  Miss,  murder  of.  610 
Government  bureaus,  Chinese; 

military  occupation  of,  539 
Granaries,  Imperial;  Japan 
seizes  the,  540 

Grand  Council  of  Manchus  and 
Chinese,  a,  244 

Great  Britain  in  China,  16; 
prestige  of,  23,  219;  policy 
of,  104.  no;  in  Yangtze  Val- 
ley, 121 

Great  Fairy,”  Boxers  super- 
intended by  the,  722 
“ Great  Sword  Society,”  the, 
135 ; hatred  of  Catholics,  106 
(see  Boxers) 

Green,  Mr.,  murder  of,  83 
Greig,  Dr.,  attack  on,  84 
Guinness,  G.  W„  and  party; 
notable  experiences  of,  635- 
638 

Gun,  manufacturing  a,  325 
Gun-platforms,  the  Chinese,  502 
Guns,  location  of,  308 

Hall  of  Fasting,  British  army 
occupy.  548 

Hamer,  Bishop,  murder  of,  619 
Hand  of  God  in  the  siege,  the, 
508-516 

Hanlin  University,  burning  of, 
281 ; destruction  of,  542 ; de- 
fences in  the,  471 
Hanlins,  reform  advocated  by 
the,  144 

Harahara,  Mr.,  death  of,  384 
Hart.  Sir  Robert.  109.  286,  596, 
597,  739 


Hedlund,  Miss,  murder  of,  712 
Heir  Apparent,  nomination  of, 
186 

Heng  Chou  Fu,  foreign  priests 
in,  60 

Heng,  Deacon;  personal  narra- 
tive of,  673 

History,  Chinese;  loss  of  ma- 
terials for.  545 
Hoddle,  Mr.,  murder  of,  614 
Hodge.  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  murder 
of,  610 

Honan,  beginning  of  trouble  in, 
621 

Hongkong  coolie  regiment,  19 
Hospital,  patients  in,  299,  308, 
313;  work  in  kitchen,  467; 
the  International,  490;  num- 
ber of  cases,  493 
Hostilities,  cessation  of,  356 
Hotel  de  Pekin,  retreat  upon, 
307;  condition  of,  359 
“ House  and  Opium  Tax,”  the, 
130 

Hung  Hsin  Ch’uan,  founder  of 
Taiping  rebellion.  31 
House-keeping,  siege,  646 
Hsi  An  Fu,  14;  purchase  of 
books  in,  137;  Imperial  refu- 
gees arrive  in.  554 
Hsi  Ku.  Arsenal,  582 
Hsiao  Chang,  riot  in,  165 
Hu  Yu  Fen,  Governor,  164 
Huo,  Mrs. ; personal  narrative 
of,  685 

Hunan,  anti-foreign  literature 
issues  from,  79;  reform  mea- 
sures in,  141 

Hunan  pamphlets,  the,  41 

I Ch’ang  Fu,  riots  at,  13,  83, 
160,  162 

Ideals,  the  Chinese,  6 
l Ho  Ch’uan,  the  Boxer  Society, 
154;  second  stage  in  develop- 
ment, 209;  appointment  of 
leaders,  225  (see  Boxers) 
Imperial  buildings,  foreign  oc- 
cupation of,  541 
Chinese  Armory,  relief  expe- 
dition takes,  442 


758 


INDEX 


Imperial  Court,  culpable,  549; 
favours  Boxers,  574 
edicts,  insincerity  of,  188, 
243;  favourable  to  Boxers, 
189;  against  them,  191 ; or- 
dering punishments,  550 ; 
authorises  destruction  of 
legations,  566;  anti-foreign, 
594 

family,  flight  of,  551 
Maritime  Customs,  120,  264 
Palace  instigates  riots,  76 
Palaces,  fate  of  the,  529,  534 
Pavilion,  burning  of  the,  545 
resorts,  destruction  of,  20 
troops  instigating  riots,  13 ; 
relation  to  Boxers,  228; 
attacked  by  allied  forces, 
441 

tutors,  appointment  of,  186 
University,  decree  on,  138 
Improvements,  allies  introduce, 
525 

Incantations,  the  Boxer,  197 
Indemnity,  demand  for,  67 ; re- 
fused, 68 ; German  demand, 
106;  payment  of,  161 ; claims 
for,  276;  question  of,  567; 
Protestant  scheme  for,  729 
Institutions,  Chinese;  an  evo- 
lution, 5 

Intercalary  eighth  moon,  Chi- 
nese superstition  about,  219 
Interior,  foreigners  in,  594-620 
“ International,”  the  new  gun, 
328,  3 73,  429.  470,  51 1 
International  club,  an,  543 
complications,  14-29 ; danger 
of,  187 

Hospital,  the,  490;  cases  in, 
493 

law,  effect  of,  on  Chinese, 
21 ; questions  of,  436 
prison,  an,  541 
trade,  study  of,  142 
Inundation  of  country  round 
Tientsin,  the  effect  of,  572 
“ Irishmen  of  China,”  13 
Italian  Government,  demands 

of,  1 14 


James,  Prof.,  murder  of,  267 
Jameson,  C.  D.,  helpfulness  of, 
628 

Japan,  war  with,  26,  129;  usur- 
pation of  Chinese  territory  by, 
76;  military  readiness  of, 
452 

Japanese,  the:  and  exterritorial 
rights,  17;  their  courage,  301; 
courtesy,  322 ; Dr.  Sheffield 
asked  to  make  terms  with,  558 
Japanese  Decoration  Day,  417 
Japanese  indemnity,  automatic 
payment  of,  540 

Japanese  Legation,  murder  of 
chancellor  of,  235 ; death  of 
secretary  of,  384 
Japanese  Minister,  letter  re- 
ceived by,  354 

Japanese  Soldier — Information- 
Bureau,  the  387 
Japanese  troops  in  allied  forces, 
the,  455 ; good  work  of,  457 
Jesuits  protected  by  France,  48 
Johannsson,  Miss,  murder  of, 
712 

John,  Griffith,  79 
Julien,  Roman  Catholic  priest, 
attacks  Rhenish  mission- 
aries, 54 
Jung  Lu,  148 

Junk,  the  Chinese,  10;  discon- 
tinuance of,  95 

Junk  masters,  influence  of, 
against  railways,  98 

Kalgan,  peril  of  missionaries 
in,  231 ; escape  of  foreigners, 
610 ; German  expedition  to, 
715 

Kalgan  to  Kiakhta,  notable  ex- 
periences in  flight  from,  643- 
647 

K’ang  Hsi,  Emperor,  35  ; on  an- 
cestral worship,  47 ; precedent 
of,  135 

K’ang  Yu  Wei,  “ The  Modern 
Sage  and  Reformer,”  133; 
suggests  reforms,  134 ; audi- 
ence with  Emperor,  135; 
escape  of,  148 


INDEX 


759 


Kao  Hsin,  personal  narrative 
of,  665 

Karlburg,  Mr.,  murder  of,  712 
Kempff,  Admiral,  on  taking 
Taku  forts,  436 

Ketteler,  Baron  von,  191 ; 
Boxer  beaten  by,  236 ; sketch 
of,  254;  murder  of,  255; 
memorial  service  for,  499 
Kiangsu,  troubles  in,  155 
Kiaochou,  German  possession 
of,  106,  108 
Kotow,  omitting  the,  27 
Ku  Cheng,  riot  at,  85 
K’ii  Chou  Fu,  massacre,  605 
Kuang  Hsu,  Emperor,  125  (see 
Emoeror  Kuang  Hsii) 

Kuang  provinces,  governor  gen- 
eral of,  15 

Kueichou,  murder  of  missionary 
in,  87 

Kung,  Prince,  position  of,  127, 
134 

Labour  strike  in  China,  13 
Labour  system,  the  coolie : 
charges  against,  21 
Labour,  work  of  Superintend- 
ent of,  365;  demand  for,  366 
“ Laffan  ” News  Telegraph 
Agency,  despatches  from,  256 
Lambert,  Miss,  Red  Cross 
given,  493 

Lands,  granting  of,  17 
Lang  Tang,  439 

Language,  the  Chinese,  mis- 
sionary use  of,  36 
Lansdowne,  commendatory  des- 
patches from,  481,  483 
Larsson,  Mr.,  murder  of,  712 
Legation  guards,  arrival  of, 
211,  508 

Legation  ladies,  Empress  Dow- 
ager receives,  28 ; kindness  of, 
262 

Legations  in  Peking,  the,  187 ; 
attack  planned  on,  206;  their 
protection,  210,  288 ; guarding 
Legation  Street,  241 ; Mar- 
quis Tseng  urges  they  be  re- 
spected, 245 ; attacks  on,  253, 


271,  420,  422,  424,  425,  428, 
429;  topography  of  district, 
259;  burning  of  Italian  and 
Dutch  compounds,  279 ; for- 
eigners asked  to  leave,  341, 
362,  386;  condition  of  Ger- 
man, 358;  of  French,  360; 
Tsung  Li  Yamen  sends  sup- 
plies, 362 ; arrival  of  allied 
forces,  461  ; extent  of  fortifi- 
cations, 468 ; attempted  be- 
trayal, 475 ; extent  of  area, 
548 

“ Lest  we  forget,”  527 

Letters,  commendatory,  494, 
495 

Li,  Deacon ; personal  narrative 
of,  671 

“ Light  of  the  Red  Lamp,”  the, 
202 

Li  Hung  Chang,  on  relation  of 
America  to  Chinese,  21 ; as 
peace  maker,  23  ; cancels  rail- 
way plans.  98;  dismissed  from 
Tsung  Li  Yamen,  146;  ap- 
pointed Viceroy  of  Chihli, 
380  ; appointed  Peace  Commis- 
sioner, 420 ; reinstates  anti- 
foreign  official,  566;  appoints 
native  officials,  585 ; Chinese 
appeal  to,  588;  his  opinion  of 
foreigners,  718;  approves 
Protestant  indemnity  plans, 
730 

Li  Lien  Ying,  Eunuch,  influence 
of.  221 

Li  Pen  Yuan,  Mrs.;  personal 
narrative  of,  676 

Li  Ping  Heng.  550 

Likin  taxes,  proposed  abolition 
of,  135 

Literary  class,  antipathy  of,  32 

Literary  essay,  edict  abolishing 
the,  135 

Literati,  reforms  advocated  by, 
T44 

Literature  of  Protestant  mis- 
sions ; inadequate,  40 ; in  Im- 
perial palace  and  Hunan,  43 
on  Roman  Catholics  in  China, 
45 ; anti-foreign  issue  of, 


■jbo 


INDEX 


79;  circulation  of,  137; 
practical  Chinese  schools 
for,  139 

Liu  K'un  Yi,  602 
Loan,  national,  plan  for,  130 
Loans,  Chinese  government 
needs,  121 

London  Mission  refugees,  ex- 
periences of,  537;  destruction 
of  station,  609 

Loot,  soldiers  forbidden  to,  321 ; 

permission  given  to,  374 
Looting  in  Tientsin,  the,  583, 
584 

Lord  Elgin,  Diary  of,  18;  his 
motto,  69 

“ Lord  of  Heaven  ” religion, 
Chinese  familiar  with,  31 
Lottery  in  Canton,  the  139 
Lovitt  family,  murder  of.  614 
Lu-Han  railroad,  Belgian  man- 
agement of,  99;  work  on, 
1 17;  decree  on,  138;  wreck  of, 
21 1 

Lundell,  Miss,  murder  of,  712 
Lundgren,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  mur- 
der of,  616 

Macao,  centre  of  coolie  traffic, 
21 

McCalla,  Capt.,  242,  439 
McCarthy,  Justin,  declaration 
of,  18 

MacDonald,  Lady,  261 
MacDonald,  Sir  Claude.  187. 
195,  206;  asked  by  Powers  to 
take  charge  of  defences,  278; 
official  report  of.  475 
McKinley  (see  President) 
Machinery,  introduction  of,  pro- 
posed 142 

Magistrates,  hostility  of,  38; 
to  Catholics,  52;  inactivity  of, 
178;  reproved,  for  repressing 
Boxers,  205 

Ma,  Mrs.;  personal  narrative 
of,  697 

Manchu  Clan,  election  of  em- 
peror by,  125 

Dynasty,  and  the  Boxer 
Movement,  187 


policy,  the  245,  600 
rulers,  purpose  of,  30 
soldiers,  murder  of  mission- 
ary by,  85 

Manchuria,  Roman  Catholics  in, 
55 ; insurrection  in,  84 ; Rus- 
sian work  in,  99;  extent  of, 
102;  railroads  in,  104;  af- 
fected by  Russo-Chinese 
agreement,  105 ; anti-foreign 
movement  in,  606;  friction 
with  Russians  in,  607 ; num- 
ber of  Protestants  in,  650; 
Russian  occupation  of,  713, 
724 

Manchurian  Convention,  atti- 
tude of  Russia  toward,  725 
Manchus  and  Chinese,  govern- 
mental relation  of,  220 
Manchus,  superstition  of.  226 ; 
complicity  in  Peking,  501 ; 
hostile  to  foreigners,  599 
March  to  Peking,  the,  453-461 
Margary,  murder  of.  22 
Marines,  courage  of,  315;  rec- 
ognition of  services,  494 
Mark  Twain,  charges  of,  731 
Martin.  W.  A.  P.,  140 
Martyrs,  missionary,  list  of, 
647-649 ; the  unknown,  672  ; 
memorial  service  at  Pao  Ting 
Fu,  682 

Massacre,  the  Tientsin,  13,  22, 
572;  ferocity,  60 
Meadows,  T.  T.,  64 
Medal,  designs  for  a siege,  422, 
430 

Medhurst,  Consul.  Shanghai.  66 
Medicine,  Chinese  practice  of, 
41 ; handmaid  of  Christianity, 
41 

Memorials,  presentation  of,  to 
throne,  144;  in  the  “Peking 
Gazette.”  193 ; character  of, 
396,  397;  Governor  of  Shansi 
issues,  406 

Memorial  service  for  Baron 
von  Ketteler,  499;  for  mar- 
tyrs, 682 

Mencius,  service  of,  to  China, 
33 


INDEX 


761 


Meng  Chi  Hsien,  pastor;  per- 
sonal narrative  of,  680 
Menus,  planning  the.  467 
Messengers,  329.  331,  340,  347, 
353;  reports  of,  383.  386.  388, 
39C  395,  396,  398  400,  404 
405,  406,  409,  41 1,  420,  422, 
423,  453 

Methodist  Mission,  foreigners 
take  refuge  in,  232;  flight 
from,  257;  condition,  after 
siege,  496 

Mikado,  proposal  that  Emperor 
and  Empress  Dowager  visit 
the,  745 

Military  Commanders,  Tientsin 
Provisional  government  or- 
ganized by,  451 
Commission,  Chinese  officials 
executed  by,  61 1 
examinations,  changes  pro- 
posed in,  138 

expeditions,  a series  of  713 
force  in  China,  16 
life,  attitude  of  Chinese  to- 
ward, 8 

Militia,  anti-foreign,  voluntary 
enrollment  of,  81 
Minister  Wu ; influence  at 
Washington  of.  721 
Ministers.  Chinese ; selection 
of,  for  foreign  lands,  131 
Ministers,  foreign,  appeals  to 
Yamen  of,  203.  204,  207;  letter 
from  Tsung  Li  Yamen,  267; 
reply  to.  268 
Miner,  Miss  Luella,  551 
Ming  Dynasty,  the  preceding, 
cause  of  fall  of.  221 
Mings,  attitude  of,  to  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  47 
Mining,  antipathy  to,  101 ; pos- 
sible concessions  for,  121 
Mining,  danger  from,  in  Lega- 
tions. 338;  threat  of.  512 
Mission  affairs  in  Chihli  and 
Shantung,  51 

property,  amount  destroyed. 
498 

records.  Boxers,  seek,  658 
work,  effect  of,  161 


Missionaries,  preaching  of,  33 ; 
Foreign  Ministers  endeavour 
to  protect,  204;  their  peril, 
231;  American,  letter  from 
Minister  Conger  to.  494 ; fear- 
ful experiences.  616.  727 ; their 
character,  618 ; their  work, 
660;  edicts  on  protection  of, 
721 ; in  the  present  crisis  ; a 
statement.  730;  justified  by 
Minister  Conger,  732 
Missionaries,  Massacre  of : 
American  Board,  610,  613, 
616;  American  Presbyterian, 
610.  China  Inland.  605,  610, 
613,  616;  English  Baptist, 
613;  Roman  Catholic,  614, 
619 

Missionary  conference  at 
Shanghai,  78 

Missionary  Societies  in  China, 
statement  of,  730 
Missions,  annual  meetings  of, 
230 

Missions,  located  in  Chinese 
dwellings,  537 

Mitchie,  Alex.,  on  “ China  and 
Christianity,”  45 
“ Mixed  courts  ” undesirability 
of,  17 

Mongol  dynasty,  the,  4 
Mongol  Market,  attack  at,  337 
Mongolia,  spread  of  foreign  ris- 
ing in,  61 1 

Monroe  Doctrine,  a Chinese, 
necessary,  121 
Moral  Code  of  Chinese,  6 
Morrill,  Miss,  murder  of,  610 
Morrison.  Dr..  480 
Mother  Superior  of  Northern 
Cathedral,  the,  504 
Moule.  Bishop,  brings  charges 
against  Roman  Catholics  in 
China,  56 

Mountain  of  Ten  Thousand 
Ages,  the.  532 
Mukden,  606 

Nanking,  riot  at.  82 
Narratives,  personal,  665-701 


762 


INDEX 


Native  Christians : attitude  to- 
ward idolatrous  ceremonies, 
36;  persecution  of,  37,  175; 
rescue  of,  238;  protection  of, 
250 ; exemplary  conduct  of, 
259 ; a refuge  for,  265  ; cloth- 
ing of  the,  20 1 ; identification 
of,  312,  321;  helpfulness  of, 
371 ; Prince  Ch’ing  suggests 
sending  out,  390;  decree  on, 
399;  in  Tientsin,  445;  their 
safety,  509:  murder  of.  615; 
character,  651 ; asked  to  re- 
cant, 653 ; Boxers  persecute, 
654-657;  faithfulness  of,  657, 
658;  funds  entrusted  to,  658; 
courage  of,  659;  testimony  of 
Mrs.  Isabella  Bird  Bishop  on, 
663 ; wild  rumours  of,  668 
Native  Church ; catastrophe  to 
the,  650-664;  its  faithfulness, 
657 ; possible  power  of.  739 
Native  preachers;  missionaries 
intrust  money  to.  658 
Naval  Brigade,  the.  454 
Naval  demonstration,  need  of, 
193 

Naval  officers,  consultation  of, 
438 

Newchwang,  treaty  port  of ; dis- 
pute over,  hi 

New  Testament,  gift  of,  to  Em- 
press Dowager,  128 
New  Year,  Chinese  forbidden  to 
celebrate,  580 

Newspapers,  native;  influence 
of,  22 

Newspapers,  on  Boxer  Move- 
ments, 183.  185.  193 
Ningpo  men  in  Shanghai,  13 
Non-Christian  families,  removal 

of,  233 

Non-Christians,  what  to  do 
with.  324 

Nordenfelt  gun,  308 
Norman,  Mr.,  murder  of,  717 
Norris,  Chaplain ; services  of. 
479 

North  China  College,  flight 
from,  214;  destruction  of 


buildings,  236,  564;  location 
of,  557 

“ North  China  Daily  News,” 
183,  222;  on  Empress  Dow- 
ager, 598 

Northern  Roman  Catholic 
Cathedral,  foreigners  take 
refuge  in.  232;  siege  of,  503- 
507 

Notable  experiences,  621-649; 
Canadian  Presbvterian  Mis- 
sion, 621-632;  English  Baptist 
Mission,  632-635 ; China  In- 
land Mission,  635-643 ; Kal- 
gan  to  Kiakhta,  643-647 
Noyes,  Mr.,  on  “ Five  Storms 
of  Wrath,”  57 

Occidental,  Chinese  incompre- 
hensible to,  5 

Occidental  civilization,  grave 
problem  of,  734 

Occidentals,  domineering;  bit- 
terness of  Chinese  officials  to- 
ward, 24;  extermination  of, 
discussed,  508 
Offices,  abrogation  of,  143 
Officials,  Chinese,  and  trading 
class,  9 

Officials,  liberal ; execution  of. 
408  ; punishment  demanded  by 
Powers.  726 

Ogren,  Mr.  and  Mrs.;  story  of, 

638-643 

“ Open  Door,”  the  724-725 
Open  Ports,  prosperity  of,  573 
Opium,  British  trade  in,  15 ; 
sale  of,  91 ; Chinese  opinion 
of,  92.  93 

Opium  war.  purpose  of,  16 
Opium  Commission,  report  of, 
92 

Orphanages,  Roman  Catholic, 
Tsung  Li  Yamen  on,  58 
Outbreaks  in  China,  causes  of, 
13 

Outlook,  the.  733-739 
“ Overland  to  China,”  52 

Palace.  Imperial;  foreigners 
visit  the,  529 


INDEX  763 


Palace  examinations,  abolition 
of,  142 

Palace  where  Emperor  was  im- 
prisoned, 530 

Palaces,  sale  of  abandoned, 
501 

Pamphlets,  the  Hunan,  41 
P’ang  Chuang  missionaries, 
protest  of,  180 

P ang  Chuang,  riot  at,  609; 

Boxers,  checked  at,  610 
Pao  Ting  Fu,  disturbance  at, 
206,  207 ; Belgian  engineers 
escape  from,  212;  massacre 
at,  610 ; memorial  service  held 
at,  682 ; military  expedition 
to,  713;  punishment  of  native 
officials  at,  714 

Parkes,  Mr.,  seized  by  Chinese, 
20 

Parliament,  English,  on  war 
with  China,  15 
Partition  of  China,  115.  184 
Partridge,  Miss,  murder  of,  613 
Patriotic  Harmony  Society  of 
Boxers,  the,  227 

Pavilion,  British  Legation,  263 
Peace  conditions,  defence  of 
Legations  included  in,  548 
Pearl  River,  capture  of  forts, 
18 

Peiho,  the,  railway  connection 
with,  26 

Pei  T’ang  Cathedral,  264,  304, 
456,  503 

Peking,  Manchu  government  in, 
21 ; city  gates,  26 ; Roman 
Catholic  mission  in,  206;  ar- 
rival of  allied  forces,  261 ; 
anarchy  in,  270;  condition 
during  siege,  329;  anti-for- 
eign.  517;  its  punishment, 
517-534 ; first  occupied  by 
European  troops.  517:  devas- 
tation, 519;  street  lighting, 
526 ; military  expeditions 
from,  713 

“ Peking  and  Tientsin  Times,” 
185 

“ Peking  Gazette,”  ministers  re- 


quest publication  of  Edict  in, 
191 

Persecution  of  native  Chris- 
tians, 37 

Personal  narratives,  665-701 ; 
Kao  Hsin,  665 ; Deacon  Li, 
671 ; Deacon  Heng,  673;  Mrs. 
Li  Pen  Yuan,  676;  the  Tsai 
family,  679;  pastor  Meng  Chi 
Hsien,  680;  Chang  Ch’ing 
Hsiang,  682;  Mrs.  Huo,  685; 
Dr.  Ch’iu,  687;  Wen  Li,  689; 
Messrs.  Chang  and  Wen,  691 ; 
Mr.  Chiang,  602;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Chang,  693 ; Christian 
students,  695 ; Mrs.  Ma,  697 ; 
Roman  Catholic  Christians, 
698;  English  Methodist  Chris- 
tians, 698 

Persson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  murder 
of,  712 

Pethick,  W.  N.,  heads  res- 
cue party,  238 

Philological  studies,  opportuni- 
ties for,  527 

Physicians,  the  siege,  515 
Pigott  family,  murder  of,  615 
Pitkin,  Mr.,  murder  of.  610 
Placards,  anti-foreign,  circula- 
tion of,  80 

Placard,  Boxer;  range  of  com- 
plaint in,  201 

Polk,  President,  letter  of,  14 
Population  of  China,  complex 
problem  of,  3 

Port  Arthur.  Russian  occupa- 
tion of,  no 

Ports,  opening  of  new,  16 
Posters.  Boxer,  200 
Powers,  The ; relation  to  Japan, 
452 ; appropriation  of  Tien- 
tsin lands  by  587.  589;  fric- 
tion among  the.  714.  720; 

“ spheres  of  influence,”  716, 
720 

“ Practice  of  Virtue,”  Chinese 
respect  for.  152 

Preaching  of  Occidentals,  prej- 
udice aroused  bv.  40 
Preparatory  Schools,  establish- 
ment of,  ordered,  140 


7 64- 


INDEX 


Presbyterian  Missionaries,  mas- 
sacre of,  610 

Prescription,  a Divine,  200 
President  McKinley,  appeal  to, 
216;  congratulations  tele- 
graphed by,  495 

Press,  the  foreign,  on  break  up 
of  China,  116 

Price  family,  murder  of,  616 
Priests,  Buddhist  and  Taoist, 
7;  leaders  in  disturbances,  40 
Prince  Ch’ing,  interview  of 
British  Minister  with,  228 
Prince  Ch'ing  and  Others,  cor- 
respondence with,  340,  343, 

348,  362,  364,  386,  389,  390, 
399,  403 

Proclamation,  anti-foreign,  73 
Progress,  Chinese  idea  of,  89 
Promoter,  the  typical.  100 
Property,  claim  of  Roman 
Catholics  to,  56,  58;  purchase 
by  foreigners,  57 ; foreigners 
hand  to  Chinese  Government, 
230 ; wholesale  destruction, 
238,  498 

Prophecy  of  Boxer  troubles,  re- 
markable, 222 

Protestant  missions,  literature 
of,  40 

organizations,  diversity  of,  42 
societies,  agreement  of,  in  in- 
demnity scheme,  730 
martyrs,  number  of,  613,  647, 
648 

Christians  in  China,  number 
of,  650 

Protestants  in  China,  30-44; 

Chinese  view  of,  31 
Providential  care,  evidences  of, 
512,  513 

Provincial  guilds,  the,  152 
Provisional  Government,  Tien- 
tsin, 451 

Public  buildings,  losses  in,  264 
Pu  Chun,  Heir  Apparent,  185 
Public  Harmony  Volunteers, 
the,  174 

Punishment  of  Peking,  the,  517- 
534 


Punishments  demanded  by 
Powers,  small  list  of,  726 
Puzzle  of  Chinese  history,  5 

Queen  Victoria,  congratula- 
tions telegraphed  by,  496 
Queue,  proposed  abolition  of, 
145 

Railways,  Imperial  sanction  of, 
25 ; development,  26,  524 ; 

arouse  opposition,  96,  120,  182, 
559.  560;  the  Peking  road,  97; 
the  trans-Siberian,  104.  1 1 7 ; 
list  of  concessions,  1 17 ; de- 
fence of  228,  609;  trains 

stopped,  235 ; a new  terminus, 
“523 

Rank,  official ; repeal  of  pur- 
chase and  sale  of,  140 
Ransome,  Miss,  Red  Cross 
given  to,  493 
Rations,  issuing,  276 
Reaction  against  reform,  124- 

151 . 

Reactionary  Imperial  Decrees, 
effect  of,  162 

Recant,  native  Christians  given 
opportunity  to,  653 
Reciprocity,  Confucius  on,  62; 

Chinese  thought  of,  101 
Records,  Chinese  Yamens;  fate 
of,  544 

Red  Cross,  siege  ladies  receive 
order  of,  493 

“ Red  Lantern  Light  ” Society ; 
the,  662 

Reform  Translating  Bureau,  141 
Reforms,  desire  for,  11,  130; 
planned  by  Emperor,  43  : edict 
on,  131;  plan  for,  134;  books 
on,  presented  to  Emperor, 
135;  effect  of,  136;  conserva- 
tives resist,  139;  governors 
censured  for  slowness  in,  143 ; 
repealed  by  Empress  Dow- 
ager, 149 

Refuge  pits,  digging  of,  293 
Refugees,  experiences  of,  537; 
condition  of  T’ung  Chou  de- 
scribed by,  565 


INDEX 


765 


Regeneration  of  China,  problem 
of,  735 

Regiment,  the  Hongkong  coo- 

iie,  19 

Register  of  siege,  publication 
of,  418;  directory,  745 
Registrar,  work  of,  365 
Regulations,  eight,  of  Tsung 
Li  Yamen,  58 

“ Regulations  for  the  Mainte- 
nance of  Order  in  Peking,” 
228 

Reid,  Gilbert,  45,  88,  505 
Relief,  the,  *19,  434 
Relief  expedition,  the  Seymour- 
McCalla,  expected  in  Peking, 
235 ; word  from  236,  299 ; ef- 
fort to  send  word  to  242 ; 
futile  effort  to  stop,  246;  its 
trials,  440;  takes  Imperial 
armory,  442:  its  character, 

443  ; plan  of,  599 
Relief  expedition,  The  final ; 
word  from,  354,  385.  392,  409, 
422 ; anxiety  about,  320 ; 
efforts  to  communicate  with, 
415,  418;  approaches  Peking, 
430 ; enters  city,  432 
Remoter  sources  of  antipathy, 
3-13 

Renewal  of  the  attack,  the,  402- 
418 

Restitution  to  Christians,  Box- 
ers offer  to  make,  538 
Revenue,  raising  of,  135 
Revolt  of  conservatives,  147 
Rice,  the  tribute ; method  of 
carrying  to  Peking,  99 
Rice  junks;  boatmen  on,  13 
Richard,  Timothy,  78,  150; 

scheme  for  Protestant  in- 
demnities, 729 

Riots  in  Yangtze  Valley,  26 
Riots,  cause  of,  59;  anti-for- 
eign, 65-76;  season  of,  86;  at 
Yang  Chou,  65;  Chen  Chiang, 
65  ; Shanghai,  70;  Canton,  71 ; 
Szechuan,  75 ; instigated  by 
Imperial  palace,  76;  at  Wu 
Hu,  Nanking.  An  Ching  Fu, 
Tan  Yang,  82;  Wu  Hsueh, 


I Ch’ang  Fu,  83;  Sungpu,  Ku 
Cheng,  85;  Chien  Ning  Fu, 
Chiang  Pei,  Szechuan,  86; 
spread  of,  155,  156,  158;  in- 
vestigation ordered,  203 
Rising,  the  popular;  prediction 
of,  62 ; primary  sources  of,  63 
Ritualists,  the,  172 
Roberts,  James  H. ; flight  from 
Kalgan,  643-647 

Robinson  and  Norman, 
Messrs. ; murder  of,  227 
Rock  Springs,  treatment  of 
Chinese  in,  21 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  Unity 
of  contrasted  with  Protes- 
tants, 31 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  be- 
lieved a political  agent,  47; 
believed  a shelter  of  bad  men, 
52;  its  property,  56;  its  finan- 
cial methods,  58 ; its  secrecy, 
60;  its  good  work,  61 ; hostil- 
ity to  rites  of.  61  ; its  semi- 
political administration,  61 
Roman  Catholics  in  China,  the, 
45-64 ; bishops,  rank  adopted 
by,  48 ; missionaries,  power  of, 
49;  outrages  of.  55;  rising 
against,  157;  successful  de- 
fence of,  179;  fortifications 
of,  207;  rescue  of,  251; 
massacre  of  missionaries,  614, 
619;  list  of  martyrs,  649; 
number  in  China,  650 ; per- 
sonal narrative  of  converts, 
698 

Ruin  of  T’ung  Chou,  the,  555, 
570 

Russia,  a menace  to  China,  723 ; 

dominates  Manchuria,  724 
Russian  Cemetery,  desecration 
of,  499 

railroads,  the,  118 
soldiers,  barbarities  of,  670 
troops  in  allied  forces,  the, 
455 

Russians  in  Manchuria,  friction 
with,  607 
leniency  of,  726 


766 


INDEX 


relation  of,  Chinese,  357 
Russo-Chinese  agreement,  the, 
104 

Russo-French  alliance,  the,  103 

Sages,  the  Chinese,  6 
Salisbury,  Lord,  unwilling  to 
resort  to  naval  action,  193 
telegram  to,  195 
Sand  bags,  demand  for,  279: 
manufacture  of,  289;  mater- 
ials for,  51 1 

Sanitary  care  of  British  Lega- 
tion during  siege,  295 ; im- 
provements, 820 
Scholars,  classification  of,  9 
Schools  and  colleges,  establish- 
ment of,  139 

Searchlight,  sight  of,  304,  312 
Secret  societies,  number  of,  153; 

forbidden  by  government,  173 
Segers,  Father,  murder  of,  620 
Semi-siege,  in  Peking,  the,  232- 
252 

Servants,  Chinese,  faithfulness 
of  Christian,  657,  658 
Settlement  with  China,  terms  of, 
734 

Seville,  Miss,  Red  Cross  given. 
494 

Seymour-McCalla  expedition, 
the,  235,  236,  299,  242,  246, 
438,  440,  442,  443.  599  (see 
Relief  Expeditions) 

Seymour,  Mr.,  U.  S.  Consul  at 
Canton,  55 

Shanghai,  commercial  capital  of 
the  Far  East,  12;  Ningpo  men 
in,  13;  foreign  settlement  in, 
17;  agreement  of  Powers 
over,  24;  conference  at,  55, 
78;  riot  at,  70 

Shanghai  journals,  Ningpo  cor- 
respondents of,  71 
Shanghai  Agricultural  Asso- 
ciation, the.  138 

Shanghai  Cathedral,  supposed 
foundation  of  on  infants,  97 
Shansi,  foreigners  escape  from, 
616;  Boxers  authorized  to 
kill  all  Christians  in,  657 


Shansi  Christians,  fire  and 
sword  among,  702-712 
Shantung,  mission  affairs  in, 
50;  German  work  in,  99;  mur- 
der of  priests  in,  106;  policy 
of  governor  of,  603;  foreign- 
ers protected,  604;  drill  re- 
sumed by  Boxers,  722 
Sheffield,  D.  Z.,  asked  to  medi- 
ate with  Japanese,  558 
Shen  Taotai  of  T’ung  Chou, 
help  of,  215 

Shensi,  travelling  in,  14;  policy 
of  governor  of,  603 ; spread 
of  anti-foreign  rising  in,  61 1 
Shimonoseki,  treaty  of,  2g 
Shots  fired  at  Legations,  num- 
ber of,  514 

Siege,  the;  first  week  of,  272- 
296 

Siege  life,  365-382 
Siege,  raising  the,  433 
Siege,  after  the,  485-507 
Siege  child,  a,  298 
Simcox,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  murder 
of,  610 

Slimmon,  James  A.,  notable  ex- 
perience of,  621-632 
Simpson,  Mr.,  murder  of.  614 
Smith.  Miss  Georgiana,  distin- 
guished services  of,  537 
Smyth,  G.  B.,  on  French  treach- 
ery, 25 

So  P’ing  Fu,  massacre  of  mis- 
sionaries at,  613.  707,  712 
“ Society  for  the  Diffusion  of 
Christian  and  General  Knowl- 
edge,” 43,  150 

Society  to  Protect  the  Heavenly 
Dynasty,  tenet  of.  224 
Soldiers,  Chinese,  8 
Soldiers,  Continental,  conduct 
of,  500 

“ Sources  of  Anti-Foreign  Dis- 
turbances in  China,”  88 
South  African  War,  effect  of, 
on  China,  220 

“ Spheres  of  influence,”  expedi- 
tionary, 716,  720 
“ Spirits,”  Boxers  aided  by,  172 
Spread  of  the  Rising,  196-217 


INDEX  767 


Squiers,  Herbert  G.,  346 
Squiers,  Mrs.,  262 
Stampede,  an  international,  277 
State  Department  code,  tele- 
gram received  in,  346 
Steam  navigation,  opposition  to, 
96 

Stevenson,  J.  W.,  list  of  Prot- 
estant missionary  martyrs 
prepared  by,  647,  648,  649 
Stewart  family,  murder  of,  85 
Strategy,  Chinese,  illustrated, 
397 

Streets  in  Peking,  care  of,  526 ; 

renaming  of,  527 
Strike,  labour,  in  China,  13 
Strouts,  Capt.,  death  of,  345 
Struggle  for  the  wall,  The, 
297-317 

Student  interpreters,  praise  of, 
480 

Students,  Christian,  personal 
narrative  of.  695 
Su,  Prince,  265 

Su  Wang  Fu,  265,  273 ; Japa- 
nese ordered  to  abandon  the, 
277 

Sugiyama,  Japanese  chancellor, 
murdered,  235 
Summer  Palace,  the,  532 
Sun  Chia  Nai,  approval  of  regu- 
lations of,  140 

Sung  and  Ming  Dynasties, 
methods  of  government  of, 
132 

Sungpu,  riot  in.  85 
Supplies,  difficulties  in  purchas- 
ing, 241 

Supplies,  the  siege,  509 
Swedish  Union  missionaries, 
murder  of,  712 

Syndicates,  agents  of.  88;  min- 
ing lands  sought  by,  121 
Szechuan,  riots  in.  73,  86 

Ta  Tao  Hui,  the,  106 
Tablets,  ancestral,  of  the  Man- 
chu  dynasty,  British  seize  the, 
548 

Tablets  of  pre-imperial  Ances- 
tors, removal  of,  549 


T’ai  Ku  Hsien,  massacre  of 
missionaries  at,  613 
Taiping  rebellion,  the,  22,  30 
T’ai  Yuan  Fu,  massacre  of  mis- 
sionaries at,  613 
Taku  forts,  capture  of,  18,  19, 
336;  surrender  demanded. 
247;  effect  of  capture,  436 
Taku  Forts  to  relief  of  Peking, 
From,  43S-46i 
Tan  Yang,  riot  at,  82 
T’ang  dynasty,  emperor  of, 
quoted,  on  Confucianism,  7 
T’ang,  motto  of,  738 
T’ang-tzu,”  the,  335 
Taoist  priests,  employment  of, 
by  Chinese.  7 

Taoist  priests  and  Christianity, 
39 

Taotai  of  Shanghai,  riot  planned 
by,  67 

Taotai  of  T’ung  Chou,  appeal 
to,  212;  Boxers  intimidate 
the,  566 

Tartar  dynasty,  presage  of  fall 
of,  239 

Taxation,  protest  against,  120 
Taxes,  remission  of,  513 
Taylor,  Dr.  Geo.  Yardley,  mur- 
der of.  610 

Taylor,  J.  Hudson,  beginning 
of  China  Inland  Mission  by, 

65 

Telegram  in  State  Department 
Code,  Mr.  Conger  receives,  346 
Telegram  from  Paris,  361 
Telegrams  to  governments, 
question  of,  386,  389 
Telegrams,  receipt  of,  404,  405, 
412.  414,  423 

Telegraph,  opposition  to,  96; 
sending  of  edicts  by,  143; 
sending  appeals  by,  216;  com- 
munication. stopped,  235 
Telescope,  Chinese  fear  of,  214 
Temple  of  Agriculture,  Amer- 
ican troops  occupy  the.  546 
Temple  of  Heaven,  foreigners 
enter  the.  547 

Temples  in  T’ung  Chou,  de- 
struction of,  546 


768 


INDEX 


Temples,  proposed  use  of,  for 
schools,  139 

Territorial  Aggression,  101-123 

Tewksbury,  Mr.,  274,  495 

Thunder  shower,  effect  on  Chi- 
nese of,  303 

Tientsin,  metropolis  of  four 
provinces,  12;  supplies  fur- 
nished by,  19;  cathedral  at, 
56;  riots  in,  58;  effect  of  cap- 
ture of,  342 ; serious  situation 
at,  437;  relief  of,  438;  loca- 
tion of  foreign  settlement, 
444  ; attack,  445  ; Eastern  Ar- 
senal taken,  446;  foreigners 
leaving,  447;  taking  city,  451; 
story  of  siege,  444 ; after  the 
siege,  571-593;  location  of, 
571 ; character  of  men  of,  571 ; 
massacre,  the,  572;  popula- 
tion of,  572 ; prosperity  of, 
573 ; antipathy  to  foreigners 
in,  573 1 devastation  of,  577, 
582 ; provisional  government 
of,  578 ; taken  by  foreign 
troops,  579;  British  munici- 
pal council  of,  586;  wall  re- 
moved, 588;  new  roads  in, 
588,  589;  business  conditions 
in,  591 ; military  expeditions 
from,  713 

Tientsin  Road,  the,  destruction 
of,  59i 

Tientsin,  treaty  of,  18,  20,  21 

Tientsin  Massacre,  the,  13,  22, 
46,  69 

Tiger,  the  Chinese,  122 

Tombs,  Imperial;  raid  in  direc- 
tion of,  715 

Topography  of  Legation  dis- 
trict, 259 

Tower  of  city  gate,  burning  of, 
239 

Territory,  cession  of,  to  for- 
eigners. 16 

Tract  and  Bible  Societies,  work 
of,  41 

Trade,  foreign,  effect  on  China 
of,  90 

Trade  in  Tientsin.  591 

Traders  and  Chinese,  9 


Tragedies,  a chapter  of,  617, 
618 

Trans- Asian  railway,  terminus 
of,  no 

Trans-Siberian  railway,  the, 
104,  1 17 

Transformation  of  Tientsin, 
588-593 

Translators  in  Great  Britain 
and  France,  Chinese  Minis- 
ters ordered  to  engage,  142 
Transportation,  Western  modes 

of,  525 

Treaties,  present,  a growth,  14 
attitude  of  China  toward,  29 
of  Nanking,  causes  of,  16 
of  1842  ignored  by  Emperor, 

17 

of  Shimonoski,  29 
of  Tientsin,  18,  20,  21,  22 
ratification  of,  at  Peking,  19 
Treaty  ports  in  China,  12 
“ Triad  ” Society,  153 
Tribute  grain,  arrival  of,  at 
T’ung  Chou,  556;  effect  of 
railway  on,  561 

Tribute  Rice  transport  by 
Grand  Canal,  abolition  of,  144 
Truce,  a flag  of,  292,  346 
T’sai  family;  personal  narrative 
of,  679 

Tsai  Li,  or  the  Ritualists,  172 
Ts’ang  Chou,  German  raid  of, 
716 

Tseng,  Marquis,  245 
Tsung  Li  Yamen,  the,  46; 
memorandum  of,  52,  56,  59, 
61 ; French  influence  over, 
55 ; American  Minister  sends 
protests  to,  192;  protection 
promised  by,  210:  Prince 

Tuan  appointed  president  of, 
230;  request  withdrawal  of 
foreign  troops,  242 ; request 
foreign  ministers  to  leave, 
247  ; ministers  reply,  248,  268 ; 
letter  to  Legation  ministers, 
267;  messenger  from,  346- 
provisions  sent  from,  362, 
390 ; despatch  from.  420,  426, 
427;  fate  of,  544;  alleged 


INDEX  769 


cause  for  execution  of  its 
ministers,  595 

Tuan  Fang,  Gov.  of  Shensi, 
helpfulness  of,  603 
Tuan,  Prince,  bribed  by  Em- 
press Dowager,  147;  ap- 
pointed President  of  Tsung 
Li  Yamen,  230,  269 
T’ung  Chou ; capitulates,  19, 
558;  arrival  of  Boxers,  204, 
563 ; troubles,  212  ; foreigners 
flee,  214,  564;  wreck  of  Post 
Office  and  mission,  235 ; 
meaning  of  name,  555 ; ruin 
of,  555-570;  composite  struc- 
ture of  city,  556;  population, 
556,  568 ; people  friendly  to 
foreigners,  558;  affected  by 
railway,  561 ; magistrate  hos- 
tile to  foreigners,  564 ; Boxer 
leader  in,  565 ; destruction  of, 
564,  567-570 

T’ung  Chou  Christians  in  Pe- 
king, location  of,  535 
Tung  Fu  Hsiang,  163 
Tung  Kun,  resentment  of  Chi- 

npcp  nf  T T "J 

“ Turbid-Stars,”  at  Tientsin,  12 

United  States,  educational 
mission  to,  23 ; first  minister 
to  China,  14;  suffering  of  Chi- 
nese in,  21 

United  Village  Associations, 
17  4 

Unity  during  siege,  the  remark- 
able, 515 

University  in  Peking,  impor- 
tance of,  133 ; condition  of 
after  the  siege,  497 

Vegetarian  Society,  murder  of 
missionaries  by,  85 
Vermilion  Pencil  Edicts,  de- 
spatch of,  553 

Viceroys,  uprising  checked  by, 
603,  605 

Victory,  an  important,  316 
Victoria,  see  Queen,  496 
Vileness  of  Hunan  pamphlets, 
81 


Village,  Christian,  Boxer  attack 
on,  177,  207,  214 
Volunteers,  the,  174 

Wade,  Sir  Thomas,  experi- 
ences of,  in  China,  23 
Waldersee,  Count  von,  61 1 
Wall  of  Tientsin,  removal  of, 
588 

Wall,  the  struggle  for,  297-317; 

defences  on,  403 
Wang  Lan  P’u,  story  of,  702 
War  of  1840-41,  15 
War  with  Japan,  China  at  close 
of,  102 

War  edicts  of  Empress  Dow- 
ager, 28 

Warren,  P.  L.,  British  Consul, 
Shanghai,  602 

Washington,  Chinese  situation 
viewed  from,  721 
Water,  supply  of,  280,  51 1 
Watson,  Joseph,  on  “ China 
and  the  Present  Crisis,”  117 
Watt,  James,  despatches  taken 
by,  437 

Watts  Jones,  Capt.,  murder  of, 
612 

Weather,  the  siege,  332 
Wei  Ilei  Wei,  British  demand 
for,  111;  occupied  by  Japan, 
103 

Wen  Hsiang,  character  of,  46 
Wen,  Mr.,  personal  narrative 
of,  691 

Wen  Li,  personal  narrative  of, 
689 

Weng  T’ung  Ho,  Emperor’s 
tutor,  134 

Western  Empress,  death  of,  125 
Western  innovations,  introdu- 
cers of,  26;  their  effect,  94 
Learning  Schools,  graduates 
of,  138 

nations  and  China,  8 
powers,  opportunity  of,  87 
science  in  China,  power  of, 
736 

troops  in  China,  lawlessness 
of,  718 


770 


INDEX 


Whitehouse,  Mr.,  murder  of, 
614 

“ White  Lily  ” Society,  153 
Williams,  Dr.,  on  Treaty  of 
Nanking,  16 

Williams,  Fred’k,  “ History  of 
China,”  46,  70 

Williams,  G.  L.,  murder  of,  613 
Wilson,  Dr.,  murder  of,  614 
Women,  bravery  of,  485 
given  Red  Cross,  493 
Women,  massacre  of,  338,  605, 
610,  614,  615,  616,  617,  670, 
680,  696,  697,  698,  700 
Workmen,  classification  of,  9 
Wu  Ting  Fang,  telegram  from, 
350;  influence  at  Washington 
of,  721 

Wu  Hu,  riot  at,  82 
Wu  Hsieh.  riot  at,  83 
Wu  Hsiieh,  riot  at,  83 
Wylie,  J.  A.,  murder  of,  85 

Yamen,  Ministers,  British  Le- 
gation visited  by,  236 


Yamaguchi,  Gen.,  leads  Jap- 
anese forces,  455 
Yang  Chou,  riot  in,  65 
Yang  Ts’un,  440,  456 
Yangtze  Valley,  riots  in,  26,  58; 

Great  Britain  in,  121 
Yeh,  Gov.-Gen.,  British  capture 
of,  57 

Yellow  River,  rising  of,  162 
Yuan  Shih  K’ai,  148,  155,  180, 
602 ; proclamations  of,  723 
Yu  Hsien,  career  of,  168;  re- 
moval of,  180;  collusion  with 
Boxers,  192;  condemned,  550; 
influence  in  Shansi,  61 1 
Yii  Lu,  Gov.  of  Chihli,  574 
Yung  Ch’ing  Hsien,  228;  Ger- 
man raid  on,  717;  British  re- 
mit taxes  on,  717 
Yung  Wing,  influence  of,  23 
Yunnan,  struggle  of  French 
for,  121 

Zahn,  Franz,  attacked  by 
Catholics,  54 


